


Serendipity

by Imandra_Pipkin



Series: #ficletinstruments [16]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV), malec - Fandom
Genre: #ficletinstruments Prompt Week 11: cottage, Alec is some kind of agent, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Blow Jobs, Bubble Bath, Fluff and Smut, Homophobic Language, Investigations, M/M, Magnus is a cop, Malec AU, Rimming, Showers, Smut, Training Scene
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-27
Updated: 2020-03-10
Packaged: 2020-10-29 09:54:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 28,534
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20794730
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Imandra_Pipkin/pseuds/Imandra_Pipkin
Summary: Magnus has been a law enforcement officer in a small, unknown city somewhere in the picturesque nowhere for quite some time now. As a former cop from the capital, it took him a lot of patience, persistence and stubborn friendliness to win the trust of the long-established residents. But that had been worth it, because at some point Magnus was so burned out of the horrible things he'd seen as a homicide Detective, that there was only one way for him: To do a quieter job elsewhere or quit the job completely. But Magnus was a cop with his body and soul, which admittedly missed some of the action.Today was the day Magnus realized that life behind the badge in a sleepy little town doesn't have to be boring.





	1. Serendipity

**Author's Note:**

  * Translation into Deutsch available: [Glückliche Fügung](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20847404) by [Imandra_Pipkin](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Imandra_Pipkin/pseuds/Imandra_Pipkin)
  * In response to a prompt by Anonymous in the [sh_ficletinstruments](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/sh_ficletinstruments) collection. 

> . 
> 
>   
Serendipity - Finding something good without looking for it
> 
> .

Magnus drove down the narrow, lonely road to investigate Mrs. Ramsbottom’s worried hint that hooligans in her neighborhood were up to no good. And indeed, there was light burning in the late Mr. McGraw’s old cottage.

Magnus drove up to the house and got out of his car. After a short but thorough inspection of the surrounding area, he noted the license plate of the foreign car in the driveway and went to the front door of the cottage. He noticed that all the blinds were closed and only the light above the entrance was burning. With one hand on his belt, he knocked on the door.

~~~

Alec didn’t expect any visitors to knock at his front door and therefore opened the door with a mixture of curiosity and caution. What he also hadn’t expected, was that a more than just handsome man was standing at his doorstep.

_Cute_, Alec thought and secretly cursed his fate, which always throws such men in his direction only in the most inconvenient sections of his life. If things had settled in a few days at the latest, it didn‘t matter anyway. This botched opportunity made Alec sigh deeply. 

His counterpart must have misunderstood his sign. „Sorry for the late disruption. Is everything all right with you?“

Only now did Alec notice the uniform. A stunning man in uniform. Fate doesn’t do things by halves, that much is clear.

„Yes, thanks for asking, Officer …“

~~~

„Inspector Bane.“ Magnus didn‘t know why he wanted to impress the stranger with his original rank. Granted, he was cute, built muscular, beautiful hazel eyes, but Magnus was here professionally.

„Alec,“ the man introduced himself with a ravishing smile. „What brings you to me, Inspector Bane?“

„Your neighbors saw light in a cottage that they thought were uninhabited. I’m here to see to it, and to scare off uninvited intruders.“

Alec took a step back and let Magnus enter. With a gesture to various boxes in the hall, Alec replied: „I just moved in.“

Magnus weighed the degree of unprofessionalism in case he offered his help in the renovation, when suddenly a dark figure slipped from the back of the house into the hall. Magnus was on high alert when he saw the gun aimed at Alec with deadly precision. Before Magnus could draw his weapon, a dagger stuck neatly between the attacker’s eyes. The man was dead before the body hit the ground.

~~~

_Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Shit!_

For weeks, he and his team have carefully planned and prepared the trap and now this bad timing? He hadn‘t intended to involve the local police in his lucrative assignment. Alec was the organizational head of a very special organization. This organization was so special that only selected customers could take advantage of their 'special' services. After all, this kind of problem solver isn’t found in the local yellow pages.

Alec looked at Magnus and weighed his chances. Magnus‘ expression changed from surprise and astonishment to admiration and … desire?

„Who are you?“

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For suggestions and complaints you can find me at  
[twitter](https://twitter.com/Imandras)  
or  
[tumblr](https://imandras.tumblr.com)


	2. Surprises and Opportunities

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> If it was on a whim that Alec turned his back to Magnus because he just enjoyed it, to tease Magnus even more, or simply to waste time, he couldn't tell himself.

"Who are you?" Inspector Bane whispered, more to himself and less a question addressed to the man who stood just a few feet away from him, running his hand through his hair. 

He never lost sight of Alec as he walked to the corpse lying on the ground, squatted down and felt for the pulse despite the unmistakable dagger in the man's skull. Magnus rose slowly and cautiously, drawing his weapon, which he aimed at Alec. Alec raised an eyebrow first, then his arms. 

"If you have more weapons, now is the perfect time to bring them out very slowly and put them all on the ground."

Alec obeyed with a smile that Magnus couldn't place. He expected Alec to hide one or perhaps two more knives and that he would simply throw them on the floor between them. 

But oh no! Of course not. Alec doesn’t just lift his black t-shirt. He slid his hand under the hem of the shirt, trailing his belly and slowly pushing up the fabric with his thumb, revealing a glorious sight. At first Magnus saw the narrow line of hair running from the belt to below the shirt. More and more of Alec's defined abdominal muscles became visible. 

Magnus liked what he saw, he couldn't deny it. Unfortunately, he couldn't hide his reaction either. 

With his other hand Alec drew two thin knives and a small firearm, which he wore laterally in the waistband of his black jeans, which he laid on the floor and gave them a nudge with his foot, when Magnus nodded his head toward the front door.

Alec leaned forward and brought out another weapon from an ankle holster and a dagger from the shaft of his boots. Magnus watched as Alec ran both hands along the inside of his thighs as he straightened up. 

With a swing of his hips, Alec turned around. Looking over his shoulder, he pushed his t-shirt up at his sides with both hands a little bit and revealed more daggers stuck in his waistband. His gaze was a clear challenge, as he made no move to disarm himself. 

Magnus blood slowly started to boil. If Alec had thrown one garment at a time on the ground instead of an impressive number of weapons, Magnus beginning arausal couldn't have been bigger. This actually turned him on. 

_This little shit. He does that on purpose. Just wait, two can play this game._

~~~

Since Alec continued to look into Magnus' eyes during this striptease of a different kind, he noticed that Magnus swallowed dryly several times. 

If it was on a whim that Alec turned his back to Magnus because he just enjoyed it, to tease Magnus even more, or simply to waste time, he couldn't tell himself. 

In any case, Magnus came a few steps closer, still aiming with his weapon at his head, and pulled out the daggers from his waistband, which he threw out of reach. 

For Alec, it would have been easy to overpower and disarm Magnus. But he missed the opportunity, if he ever wanted to take it, because Magnus pressed him against the wall with one hand between his shoulder blades. 

_He is strong. I didn't expect that. This man definitely works out._

Magnus put his gun back in his holster and pulled out his handcuffs. "Hands where I can see them." 

Alec showed his cooperation by leaning his hands against the wall at next to his head. With his body weight, Magnus pushed Alec even further against the wall as he handcuffed him. 

In other circumstances, Alec wouldn't have minded getting tied up by Magnus, preferably to the headboard of his bed, but the timing was just a little bit ... inappropriate.

_Fate, when this all is over, we both need to have a serious word._

"I'm all for a rough foreplay," Alec commented as Magnus shoved his legs further apart with his foot. 

Out of the corner of his eye Alec could see that Magnus' mouth twitched in an attempt to suppress a smile. 

Magnus probed Alec's back and front for more weapons before he ran both hands up Alec's thigh.

"Shouldn't you invite me to dinner first, before you make closer acquaintance with my ass?" 

"Alec, are you alright?" He heard a voice that was well known to him. 

Alec groaned inwardly. What was it with him and the timing? Did the cavalry have to break through the door just now, where he wanted to try out how far he could come with his flirting attempts? 

~~~

As soon as Magnus heard the foreign voice, he took a step back and drew his weapon. Two more people enter the cottage on the same path as the intruder just a few minutes ago. 

Distracted, Magnus turned his attention to the newcomers, who didn't seem at all impressed that Magnus had pointed a gun at Alec. 

"Hey, Jace, compliment your infallible sense of perfect timing." 

The man addressed with Jace looked between Magnus and Alec and showed a grin that was not at all apologetic. 

Magnus turned his attention back to Alec and now could explain why Alec's companions haven't lost their coolness, because Alec aimed a gun at Magnus. 

_Damn it! How could he free himself from the handcuffs so quickly? Where does the weapon come from? _

The last question answered by itself, because he noticed the piece of tape hanging from the underside of a side table. 

_Okay, I'm obviously dealing with professionals. He was definitely prepared._

It wasn't the first time that Magnus looked into the muzzle of a weapon. But although he was aware of the seriousness of the situation and the danger he was in, he found this moment incredibly hot. 

"You have killed him? Shit! Alec, he could have given us valuable information about Valentine's whereabouts." A beautiful woman with long, dark hair looked at Alec reproachfully.

"What do you think I should have done, Izzy? As you can see, I'm not alone."

Just like Jace had done before, Izzy looked back and forth between Magnus and Alec. "Alec in protective mode, I see." Her beaming smile was stunning. 

"Mr. P. will not be pleased..." Jace nudged the body lightly with his foot. 

"Jace, stop calling him Mr. P.!" Alec actually rolled his eyes!

"But he is our president."

"Still! And if Maryse ever finds out you're calling her M, your fancy British accent will not help you either. She will never change your name to a number. "

"Guys, seriously? Again?" 

The three argued with each other as if Magnus weren't present at all.

Izzy knelt beside the dead man and systematically searched his jacket and trouser pockets. "May I introduce: Emil Pangborn," read Izzy from the ID.

"We'll take him to the institute. Maybe there'll be found something in the autopsy that can help us." Alec accepted the ID Izzy handed him.

That caught Magnus' attention. 

He had learned about "The Institute" through a wiretap on a drug mogul. But no more than that the suspect didn't want to attract the attention of "The Institute". There was never more evidence, nobody talked, though Magnus had tried everything to find out more. 

He had no idea if "The Institute" was the good guys or the bad guys. Well, at the moment he wasn't closer to answering that question. 

Both could be the case and at the moment he tended to the last possibility. He had never had a weakness for the bad guys, but there was a first for everything. 

"I will inform my team that the corpse can be picked up. I would like to start the autopsy as soon as we get back home." Izzy pulled her phone out of her pocket.

"Even at the risk of interrupting your cozy evening planning, but nobody goes anywhere, certainly not Mr Pangborn."

So far, the trio had ignored him despite his uniform and the weapon he had pulled. Magnus thought it was time to remind them that he was here in his official position as a law enforcement officer. 

"Our Emil here is dead. He won't go anywhere anymore."

"Jace!"

"What?"

"No one is going to leave the scene here. I'll call the local medical examiner and ask for reinforcements. In the meantime, I'm expecting some answers."

"What takes you so long?" A new voice announced the arrival of another person. "It's all ready for the interrogation and the evaluation of the operation. We're just waiting for you guys."

The newcomer made the hallway a little more crowded and Magnus took a step back and a little to the side to keep everyone in sight. 

"Oh ..." she said as she became aware of the situation. "Uh, is he dead?" The girl glanced at the corpse and headed quickly for Jace, who hugged the petite redhead. 

"No, Clary, he's just sleeping. He only closed his eyes so the light wouldn't blind him."

"Alec!"

"What?"

"Let's get back to the topic now, please. The corpse doesn't get fresher the longer we're staring at it. As I said, I'd like to start the autopsy today." Izzy was rational. She wiggled the phone in her hand. 

"What do we do with him?" Clary pointed at Magnus.

"He has a name, Clary, it's Magnus." Alec raised his hand and let his handcuffs dangle from his index finger. 

"I would have preferred to share this experience with you in a somewhat more cuddly atmosphere," Alec said flirtily. "but I don't want to be picky now."

Magnus smiled, allowing himself to indulge in that thought for too short a moment.

"Don't you forget a little something?"

"So far, I have always been adequately ... prepared."

Of course, Magnus understood Alec's innuendo.

"Actually, I'm talking about this." Magnus nodded in the direction of his weapon.

"Oh, yes, right. You can give it to me for the time being. You will get it back at the institute."

Magnus' expression changed from disbelief to irritation. 

"Alec, what do you mean, when you say you want to give him his gun back at the institute?" Jace questioned him.

"We will take Magnus with us to the institute."

Immediately, a three-part protest sounded. Alec's expression remained blank. He kept a close eye on Magnus, apart from that he ignored the discussion. 

Magnus was torn. He analyzed the situation and weighed his options. He could refuse. The consequences might not be pleasant. 

But if he was honest, he didn't want to miss the opportunity to find out more about "The Institute". That was perhaps his first and only chance.

"Okay!" 

"Okay?"

Magnus nodded.

"Okay!" Alec smiled brightly.


	3. Communication and Trust

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Magnus gets to know "The Institute".

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The request for a training scene has caused me quite a headache, which is why I have hesitated so long to continue writing. Two of my nephews do judo, but that's also the closest thing I've got to this kind of sport.  
There will definitely be such a scene, but only in the next chapter, I'm already working on it. I beg for a little patience.  
I hope you like this chapter anyway. Enjoy!

Reluctantly, Alec looked away from Magnus.

"Okay, guys, change of plans. We will go back to the institute right now. We will postpone the discussion and evaluation of the mission until later. Clary, ask Underhill to pack our stuff and the equipment and join us afterwards."

"I'll drive with my forensics team to make sure the transportation of this body runs smoothly."

"All right, Izzy, see you at home."

Alec didn't wait for Izzy to call her team or for Clary to inform Underhill. Even without Izzy and Clary leaving the cottage to prepare everything necessary for their departure, he knew that his instructions would be executed. 

"Alec, are you sure about what you are doing?" Jace stood close to his team leader without turning his back on Magnus. "You know, I'm always on your side, but I need to know what you're up to."

Alec ran a hand over his eyes. He answered Jace just as softly. "We cannot just sit it out and do nothing at all. Now an outsider is involved. None of us could have predicted this situation. At the latest when his errand boy doesn't come back, Valentine will notice that something is going on. We need a completely new strategy, which we can't work out here with the limited resources available. Especially if we have to take care of a civilian at the same time." 

The soft snorting in the background drew the two men's attention back to Magnus, who still held his weapon in his hand. 

"I don't exactly have the badge and weapon from the gumball machine."

Alec put his weapon on the side table next to him and held out his hand. "Speaking of..."

Magnus just looked at him.

Alec tilted his head slightly to the side and made grabby hands. "Just to please me."

"I'm not a Labrador Retriever!" Magnus snorted indignantly.

Magnus could barely hear Alec's "But just as cute." before Jace burst into laughter.

"Alec, seriously, can we keep him? I like him."

"I'm working on it, Jace, I'm working on it."

"Again, I'm not a stray dog you may to rescue from the shelter."

Alec raised his other hand, still holding the handcuffs. "Surely we can find a compromise, don't you think?"

Magnus smiled innocently. "I'll give you my gun and in return I'll tie you up?"

"Hmmm, maybe later." Alec batted seductively with his outrageously long eyelashes. "You give me your weapon and I refrain from blindfolding and gagging you, for the drive to the institute." Alec's smile could only be described as smugly. 

"Are you negotiating?" Jace asked incredulously.

"No." Alec sighed briefly, looking annoyed at Jace because of the interruption. "I show my willingness to compromise and the ability to respond to someone else's wishes."

He turned his eyes back to Magnus. "Relationships take efforts."

Jace snorted.

"Maybe you should give it a try. Clary would appreciate it."

This made Jace seem to think, because he showed slight restlessness, his eyes were uncertain. "Did she say anything to you? Is she unhappy with me?"

"Seriously?" 

~~~

Magnus took a moment to visualize the surreality of this situation.

He was standing in a hallway in a cottage, surrounded by various weapons that were scattered on the floor, holding his weapon, which he was pointing at two men, one of whom was surely armed without showing it and that the other man was hopefully no longer armed, but most likely was a serious opponent even without the weapon on the side table, and listened to said men talking about relationship issues.

"Dude!" Did Jace sound desperate?

"Jace, communication is the key to a successful and fulfilling relationship."

"I thought sex was the most important thing."

Alec rolled his eyes. "For a change, try to think with your other head!"

"Just you have to say that!" Jace cast a significant glance at Magnus.

"Communication, Jace."

"I'm talking to you!"

"Dude! You should talk to Clary. Not to me. Telling her that you love her when you roll off of her isn't always enough."

"So she said something!?!"

Magnus wondered weather this banter was a tactic and how often this strategy was successfully used by both of them.

Alec snorted, put the handcuffs on the side table and turned to Magnus. "You agreed to come to the institute. Unfortunately, I can't allow you to keep your gun, but I promise you will get it back."

"Okay." Magnus trusted Alec. He didn't know why, but he did. He also knew he couldn't keep his gun. He wouldn't react otherwise in Alec's situation. 

Magnus handed Alec his gun and magazine, which he had removed as a precaution.

"Communication, Jace." Magnus winked at Alec, suppressing the impulse to reach out to him for a fistbump.

Now this time Jace was the one who rolled his eyes. Resigned, he turned and walked to the back door. 

With a slight bow, Alec gave Magnus precedence to following Jace. "Beauty comes first."

"Flattery brings you everywhere."

"Oh, really? I'll try that out at the next opportunity."

Magnus was aware that Alec would at least take this opportunity to shamelessly checking him out.

A three-hour drive in the pitch dark followed. There was nothing to see through the tinted windows. Jace was behind the wheel, Clary beside him, her face illuminated by the tablet in her lap, making the view outside even more difficult. 

Alec sat silently in the back seat next to Magnus. The car was quite spacious, Alec's long legs had enough room behind Jace.

Even though they weren't sitting close to each other, Magnus noticed Alec’s scent. An intoxicating mixture of a male aftershave, gunpowder and sunshine.

To distract himself, Magnus took his cell phone out of his pocket. 

Alec turned to him. "I would appreciate it if you could refrain from doing this."

Magnus looked up from the text message he was typing. "If I let myself be kidnapped by you, at least allow me to give my department a clue as to why they cannot expect my appearance tomorrow."

Alec nodded slowly and waved his middle and forefinger for the smartphone. He read the message and nodded again, so Magnus could press the send button.

"What's waiting for me when we get there?" Magnus put the phone back in his pocket.

Clary answered the question. "Robert and Maryse are not expected to return until noon tomorrow. Therefore, there will only be a brief briefing."

Magnus could tell from the increasing traffic and street lighting that they had been in the city for some time. As if to confirm his thoughts, Jace drove into an underground car park. "We are there."

~~~

Alec stayed in the car until Jace opened the door for him. With a glance at Magnus, he slowly exhaled and got out. He flipped the little lever to prevent the car door from being opened from the inside.

He waited for Magnus to get out of the car to escort him to the elevator where Jace and Clary were waiting. Silently they drove up several floors. He noticed that Magnus looked around as the doors of the elevator opened. 

Alec led Magnus by the elbow to the small conference room. He indicated one of the comfortable chairs and offered Magnus something to drink. 

Magnus shook his head and yawned softly behind his hand. 

Alec turned on the kettle and brewed two cups of herbal tea. He raised an eyebrow questioningly. Without a word Magnus reached out and accepted the mug with a grateful little smile. 

Jace took a beer from the small fridge and handed Clary a coke. 

After Jace and Clary took their seats, Alec sat down at the table opposite Magnus. He blew into his mug and carefully took a small sip. 

He sighed deeply and looked at Clary, who pushed the tablet over to him with the dossier about Magnus that she had put together on the way home.

Alec read Magnus' resume, his grading at the Police Academy, the assessments made by his superiors, he registered Magnus' honors and commendations, noting that he wasn't dealing with an ordinary small town policeman as he originally thought.

As his former chief Luke Garroway was listed. He glanced at Clary, who nodded for confirmation. She would inquire with her stepfather about Magnus tomorrow. 

Alec wiped his face tiredly with both hands. "Alright, everything else tomorrow."

Clary and Jace bid them farewell and left the conference room. 

Slowly, Alec drank his tea, lost in thought.

"What's happening now?" Magnus put his empty mug on the table.

Alec looked up, patted the table twice with his palms, and stood up. "Now it's time for bed."

He took his and Magnus' mugs and put them on the sideboard. 

"Come on, I'll show you where to sleep. We always have a few spare rooms for overnight guests."

They went back to the elevator, where Alec pressed one of the upper buttons. Wearily, he leaned against the wall of the elevator. 

"How are you?" Magnus' question surprised him. He knew that Magnus was referring to the fact that a man had to lose his life because of him.

_This man is incredible. He saw me kill a man, I threatened him with a gun, dragged him to an unknown location, and yet he is worried enough to inquire about my well-being._

Alec didn't know how to react. He wasn't at all prepared for the warm feeling that spread through him. This wasn't unknown to him, even if it had been a long time since he had felt this way, but at that moment it hit him completely off guard.

"I ... um ... I'm fine."

Alec has never been so relieved to arrive on the floor where the quarters were, as at the moment.

He turned to the right and stopped after they had passed a few doors.

"I live here. I'll get you something to wear and then show you your room."

Alec opened his door, walked to a highboard and pulled out the top drawer. In the mirror above the highboard, Alec could see Magnus pushing the door a little farther to get a curious look into the room. 

Smiling, Alec gathered up a few plain shirts, sweatpants, socks and boxer briefs, which he handed over to Magnus with a now serious expression. 

"I hope that's alright for you since I didn't give you the opportunity to bring something from home."

"Do not worry. I'll be fine, but thank you." Smiling, Magnus briefly lifted the bundle with the clothes.

Alec walked past Magnus and opened a door two rooms across the hall. When he entered he switched on the light.

"The door over there leads to the bathroom. You will find a toothbrush, toothpaste and everything else you need. And you can charge your cell phone here at the bedside table."

Magnus nodded and laid Alec's clothes on the bed. He glanced around and than looked at Alec.

Alec cleared his throat. "If you should need me, I'm over there." He pointed a thumb over his shoulder. "So ... um ... I'll pick you up tomorrow at 7 pm. I wish you a good night."

Alec waited until Magnus replied "I wish you the same." before leaving the room and closing the door from the outside.

~~~

Magnus looked around. The room was spacious, the bed was a good size. From what he had seen from Alec's room, the floor plan was the same. Except that in Alec's room there were also a desk and a large bookshelf. 

Someone had tried to break up the impersonal atmosphere he knew from some hotels with a cozy couch with colored throw pillows and matching curtains. Even the little bedside rug repeated the colors.

Magnus was tired. All he wanted was a hot shower and this bed. He took off the shoes that he placed next to the door. He hung his heavy jacket in the closet. His shirt and the pants followed. The weapon belt was unusually light, the empty holster a strange sight.

He trusted that he would get back his gun from Alec when he left "The Institute". Even if he couldn't tell when this was going to be. Alec hadn't given him one single shirt and sweatpants for the night, but several. He took the clothes Alec has lent to him and put them in the closet.

Dressed only in socks and underwear, he opened the door to the bathroom.

_Holy shit!_

This bathroom was incredible and Magnus was determined to enjoy it to the fullest. 

He undressed and threw his clothes in the laundry basket. 

If it hadn't been that late, he would have taken a bath. But for this evening he was content to try the shower. Magnus reveled in the luxury products neatly arranged in the wall, enjoying the perfection in temperature and hardness of the water, which washed away the events of the night. 

After 45 minutes he turned off the water and grabbed the indescribably fluffy towel to dry himself off. He wrapped it around his waist and left the shower. Alec was right, he found a still packed toothbrush and a small tube of toothpaste at the sink. Even dental floss was available.

When he finished brushing his teeth, he hung the wet towel over the edge of the laundry basket and went naked into the bedroom to get dressed.

He wondered why Alec hadn't been so flirty since they entered "The Institute". His remark that it was time for bed was the perfect opportunity for an innuendo. 

Too bad, Magnus liked it.

Was it because they had arrived at his headquarters and he wanted or had to show professionalism? It couldn't be the presence of Jace and Clary.

This train of thought was replaced by the question of whether it was too weird to put on Alec's briefs. Because it was kind of intimate. He had never even shared his underwear with one of his ex-lovers. 

Anyway, they were clean and it was definitely better than having to wear his own for an indefinite period of time.

Without further ado he pulled the briefs over his hips, put on a long-sleeved shirt and slipped under the covers. With a comforting sigh, he snuggled deeper into the pillow. 

_I could get used to this._

He hadn't forgotten his plans to find out more about "The Institute". However, these intention was in no way contradictory to his present sense of well-being.

He lay on his side, shoved his hand under his cheek, let Alec's scent envelop him and guide him to sleep.


	4. Advices and Enlightenments

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Magnus doesn't necessarily get to know much about "The Institute". But all the more about Alec. 😏

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The rating was upgraded to mature.

Magnus took a deep breath and inhaled the scent that caressed his nostrils. He wanted more of it. He wanted to get addicted to it. Gladly. Without any regrets. He rubbed his nose against the substance to which this scent was attached.

But he couldn't get any closer to this enticement. He stretched out his arms to pull the warm, hard body closer to him. His arms couldn't move, they had been pulled over his head with no way to lower them, no matter how hard Magnus tried. He heard a low deep chuckle, someone was obviously very pleased with himself. Magnus squirmed his body and the chuckle became a groan.

Magnus felt the familiar sensation that can only arise from the friction of another hard cock on his own cock. All he could do was spread his thighs wider. He loved the weight of another body on his chest. But this weight was only grinding against his groin. The feeling was sensational, but not enough.

He tried again to pull the body closer with his arms, but he only heard the metallic noise of the chain on his handcuffs from above his head. Magnus smiled. That sounded promising. That sounded like fun. His cock twitched in agreement. 

He was getting harder. He wrapped his arms around slim hips to increase the friction and thus to boost his pleasure.

He didn't know whose groan he heard. Probably a duet of both of their desires.

"Kiss me. I want to feel you," Magnus begged. And finally he felt hands brushing, tickling the underside of his thighs, which intensified the tense expectation and anticipation.

A tongue made its way over Magnus' clavicle, paused for a moment in the pit of his throat, played around his Adam's apple and drove purposefully along the line of his lower jaw to the corner of his mouth. The scratching of stubble on his sensitive skin was nothing but to be called simply divine. A perfect, even welcomed, contrast to the damp beads of precum at the tip of his cock, which was soaked up by Alec's boxerbriefs.

The kiss was a lingering, perhaps somehow hesitant, press against his lips. Almost like an experimentally attempt, a review of the taste, the consistency, the resistance. Then a passionate dive into deep water. And Magnus was blown away by the waves of pleasure. He never thought that Alec could kiss that good. He didn't want to complain, he wanted to indulge in this sensations.

He wanted to bury his hands in Alec's soft hair. But all he could do was rub his wrists on the soft plush of his handcuffs.

_What soft plush? My handcuffs aren't plushy. _

As fleeting as this thought was, it was still sufficient to leave the dream to fray. Magnus knew that as soon as you question a detail of a dream and check it against reality, you inevitably wake up.

_Aaah Shit! The dream started so well!_

Magnus checked the watch on his cell phone. It was already half past seven. Alec wanted to pick him up at seven.

_Fuck! Not even enough time to jerk off in the shower. _

And Magnus would have liked to sink even deeper into the cozy warmth to review his dreams, to indulge in this fantasy even longer. Magnus raised the duvet and looked at his hard-on.

_Postponed, but not abandoned. _

Magnus kicked the duvet aside and got out of bed. He took underwear and socks on the way to the bathroom. The first thing he did was brush his teeth. Then undressed and threw the clothes in which he had slept into the basket for the dirty laundry.

No way he do without a shower. This shower was even worth keeping Alec waiting. The water immediately reached the perfect temperature. He used the exclusive shower gel again and enjoyed the fragrant foam on his body. As a precaution, he didn't pay much attention to his still half-hard cock.

It was rude to have someone wait a few minutes, he knew that, but he could live with that without feeling guilty. But if he surrendered to his needs now, it wouldn't be just a few minutes. 

He turned his back to the shower and let the water flow through his hair to rinse out the shampoo. 

He looked at the bathtub and sighed wistfully. He would have loved to relax in it.

Resolutely, he turned off the tap and grabbed a towel. The bathroom was fully equipped and of course there was a hairbrush and hairdryer. By the time it took him to get his hair into a presentable shape, his body was dry. Underfloor heating was a nice thing.

He dressed in boxer briefs and socks that Alec gave him yesterday. He took his uniform out of the closet and put it on. Magnus didn't know what to expect today. Therefore, he preferred to be ready to leave, depending on what was still to come. 

Magnus was putting on his shoes when there was a knock on the door. He quickly got his cell phone, which he put in his pocket, and opened the door. 

And faced Alec. Alec in suit!

He looked pretty stunning yesterday, but now? Magnus hoped that no drool run down his chin. Magnus had always had a weakness for men in suits. He had found that men who knew how to dress well had other qualities as well. 

"You're ready?" Alec took a step back so that Magnus could follow him into the hallway.

_I should have taken the time to jerk off in the shower. How am I supposed to survive this?_

Instead, he nodded and left the room.

They went to the elevator side by side. "Where are we going?" Magnus asked when Alec had chosen the floor of his destination.

"Breakfast? I don't know how about you, but I'm starving." 

Magnus hadn't expected something so mundane like this. "Yeah, sure. Somehow dinner was skipped last night."

When the elevator door opened, Alec took Magnus by the elbow and led him to the canteen of "The Institute".

Magnus was surprised by the pleasant atmosphere. The seating looked comfortable, the light wasn't so clinically bright, there were plants in large tubs everywhere. 

Magnus looked around. There were different tables. In some you could sit alone or in pairs, in others there was space for a whole group. 

Alec gave Magnus a tray. "What do you want to eat? You'll find pretty much everything here." He added plates and cutlery.

"I can see that." Magnus watched a woman pouring dark gravy over her potatoes.

"How can you eat that for breakfast?" Magnus shivered.

"In addition to breakfast, we always offer four dishes, one of which is vegetarian. Because we work around the clock in different shifts, it is breakfast for some and dinner for others."

"I stick to waffles, pancakes or French toast."

"Excellent choice!" Alec smiled, "You can have everything you want."

_Everything? Really everything? I doubt it. Especially because at the moment I don't really know whether I should accept the offer if it was made to me._

Alec put several pancakes on his plate, poured caramel syrup over them and took some of the waffles as well. Magnus wanted French toast and waffles. When he saw Alec fill a bowl with fresh fruit, he did the same.

"What do you want to drink? Coffee, tea, cocoa or juice?" Alec poured himself a coffee. With milk, no cream, no sugar, Magnus noticed. 

"Coffee, black, please."

Alec placed a large mug of coffee on Magnus' tray.

He walked ahead and meandered through the rows of tables until he stopped next to Jace. With a greeting, he put his tray on the table and gestured for Magnus to take a seat. 

"Morning," Jace replied. 

Magnus sat down and looked up when Alec didn't sit down.

Alec looked at the table, raised a finger, turned and disappeared.

"What's wrong with him now?" Magnus looked after him in confusion.

Jace's shrug was a reflex rather than an answer. Magnus had the impression that he hadn't listened at all.

Alec came back and handed Magnus several napkins.

"Oh, thank you, Alec."

Alec smiled lopsided and sat down.

~~~

Alec started eating his breakfast. He kept glancing at Magnus, who seemed to be enjoying his food. In contrast to Jace, who just pushed his bacon back and forth on the plate. Alec stole a piece of bacon from his plate and raised his eyebrow when Jace didn't respond as expected. 

Alec emptied his cup and stood up. He saw that Magnus had only a little left in his and reached out for it. Magnus took the last sip and gave Alec the mug for a refill.

"Do you want anything else?"

Magnus glanced at Jace and shook his head.

It didn't take long for Alec to get two fresh mugs of coffee. He knew something was bothering Jace. But he also knew that there was no point in pushing him.

When Alec finished breakfast, he pushed the plate away. He licked a dollop of caramel syrup from his finger, wiped his mouth and hands with a napkin, and threw it on the empty plate.

He had noticed the look Magnus gave him when he licked his finger. It wasn't a provocative gesture, but something he had done subconsciously.

Nevertheless, he saved Magnus' reaction for later evaluation. He hid his smile behind the coffee mug.

"Alec, about yesterday ... Do you think Clary is unhappy with me?"

_We finally get to the point._

Alec glanced quickly at Magnus, who looked at Jace thoughtfully.

"Jace, if she were unhappy, she would have already left you. But whether she is happy? I don't know." Alec put his mug on the tray.

"What do you mean? Isn't that the same?" Jace was obviously confused by Alec's answer.

"No, Jace, it isn't. Having a relationship is hard work. Take nothing for granted. You can always do more, give more."

"What do you think I should do?"

Alec knew that Clary meant the world to him and he was afraid to screw it up completely. He hadn't put much effort into his previous relationships. But this time it was different with Clary.

"I mean little gestures. Listen to her. Pay attention. You will figure it out. Eventually."

"Small gestures...?" Jace nodded slowly, thinking about Alec's words.

Magnus tossed one of the napkins Alec had given him onto Jace's plate. Alec and Magnus exchanged a look and smiled at each other.

Jace's eyes brightened. "Little gestures!"

Alec got up and patted him on the shoulder. "Come on, time to exercise."

"Do you mind if I skip our training today? I would like to go to see Clary."

"It's ok, Jace. As long as you don't make it a habit."

"Of course not. Maybe Magnus can step in for me."

"What?" Alec and Magnus spoke simultaneously. Both had the same flabbergasted expression. 

"Why not? Letting off some steam doesn't hurt anyone." Jace grinned. Determined, he got up. He put the dishes on his tray and waited until Alec and Magnus were ready.

"I don't have any clothes for doing sports," said Magnus.

"I gave you something to wear yesterday." Alec warmed for the idea. He deliberately ignored Jace's wiggling eyebrows.

"Yes, you did," Magnus confirmed. He wasn't averse to the prospect of physical contact with Alec.

"Then it is..."

"A date!" Jace interrupted him.

"... agreed. Then it is agreed." Alec suppressed the impulse to slap Jace on the back of the head. A hard blow. Repeatedly.

Alec was relieved that Magnus could laugh about it.

"I need to change then."

They put away their trays and headed for the elevator.

~~~ 

Magnus considered Alec's words that he had addressed to Jace at breakfast. Not only could Alec give good advice, he acted on it himself. Magnus remembered that Alec had gone back specially to bring him napkins, or that he had brought him a second coffee. Yesterday he had also emphasized to Jace that he wanted to show Magnus 'his willingness to compromise and his ability to respond to someone else's wishes', as he had put it. Magnus had assumed that it was part of his flirting game. Now he wasn't so sure anymore.

Either he had just said it to clarify his point of view to Jace or he was really serious. Magnus wanted to know what was true of it.

But either way, Alec impressed him, intrigued him, made him curious. He couldn't decide which of the two options appealed more to him. 

A pretty Asian woman interrupted his brooding, who eyed him briefly with curiosity.

"Hey Alec, I knew I would find you here."

"Good morning, Aline. What's up?"

"Do you have a moment?"

Alec tilted his head. "For what?"

"I need your signature to sanction the mission that I'm going to lead today." Aline handed him an iPad. "I would like to go over this with you again briefly."

Alec studied carefully what was written there. "We had planned something else in the briefing."

Aline nodded. "That's correct. I had to adapt the mission to the latest knowledge at short notice."

Alec looked at Magnus: "I'm sorry, this needs my full attention." Turning to Jace, he continued: "Can you take care of Magnus for a moment and lead him to the training room when he has changed? I'll follow as soon as I've checked that." He held up the iPad and wiggled it curtly. 

"Aline, we'll discuss that in my office." He nodded apologetically to Magnus and Jace and entered the elevator with Aline.

Jace and Magnus took the next elevator.

"So, um, Alec is something like a supervisor?" With this question Magnus was of course just trying to get more informations about "The Institute" from Jace, very general, absolutely nothing specific about Alec.

_I can try to convince myself of that. Maybe I believe it._

If Jace was surprised by this question, he didn't show it. "Alec will be the head the institute in a few years. Basically, he is already taking on many of the tasks that are necessary and has a lot of responsibility." 

"Why is that so?" Magnus was genuinely interested.

"His parents own the institute and he was trained and prepared for it from the start. He grew up in the institute, so to speak. He, Izzy and Max."

"Izzy is Alec's sister?" If he thought about it more closely, it was actually plausible, the family resemblance was there.

"Jepp. She is a pathologist and is in charge of our forensics. She is interested in everything scientific, everything that is disgusting, slippery or stinky."

Magnus knew such people from his previous job. 

"Max is a fledgling, he is still in high school."

Jace brought Magnus to the room he'd stayed in so he could change.

Magnus undressed, hung his uniform in the closet and put on a tanktop and sweatpants. Shivering, he rubbed his bare arms.

"I don't have adequate shoes for training."

"We'll find something suitable at Alec's." Jace nodded toward the door.

Without hesitation he entered Alec’s room. He tossed a hoodie at Magnus that was hanging over the desk chair and started looking for a pair of shoes. 

Magnus stopped in the hallway. It was one thing to enter this room when Alec was there, and even then he hadn't. But it was completely different to intrude on someone else's privacy without their specifically consent. Which Jace apparently had no problems with.

"Aren't you locking your doors?" Magnus was completely bewildered at the casualness with which Jace had entered Alec's room.

Jace shrugged. "Why bother locking a room when every one of us can crack every lock within a few seconds."

With a triumphant "Ha!" he pulled a pair of sports shoes out of the closet. "I knew that he didn't throw them away even though they were too small for him."

He gave the shoes to Magnus, who put them on immediately. Although they were soft, the ankles were protected and stabilized.

"Let's go. You will find towels and water in the training room."

Jace led Magnus back to the elevator and pressed the button for the basement. This is where Magnus was able to get a rough idea of the impressive size of the building for the first time.

Magnus saw on one side a huge gym, the equipment of which left nothing to be desired. On the other side was a shooting range, the size of which Magnus couldn't see.

The only reason he knew there was a shooting range was because at that moment the door opened and he could have a quick look inside. Only now, with the door open, could he hear gunshots. The room was perfectly soundproofed.

The door quickly closed when the man became aware of Magnus' presence. "What's that about, Jace? Since when do we bringing unauthorized people down here?"

"Relax, Raj. I have not only the authorization but also the specific instruction to accompany Mr. Bane. Not that this is any of your business."

"From whom?"

"What do you think?"

Raj glared at Magnus.

"And I don't want to make Alec wait any longer for his valued guest either." Jace walked past Raj without looking at him again.

Magnus felt Raj's eyes like daggers on his back.

"That guy is as helpful as a spoon at a knife fight," Jace muttered out of earshot.

"What was that? "Magnus resisted the urge to turn around.

"Raj. A real pain in the ass. He's always trying to make life difficult for Alec."

Magnus paid little attention to his surroundings. He wanted to ask more questions, but Jace put his hand on a doorknob and said, "Here we are."

He shoved Magnus into the room, shouted "Have fun, you two!" and closed the door.

~~~

After the meeting with Aline, Alec had changed in the locker room, where each employee had his own locker.

When Magnus entered the training room, Alec immediately noticed that Magnus was wearing one of his Hoodies. 

He had only seen Magnus in his uniform until now, which hid a lot of his fabulous figure. Oh, he was in shape. Indeed! Who would have thought that something so ... breathtaking, so ravishing had been hidden under that thick jacket.

Although Alec could have guessed. He had used every opportunity to check out Magnus' ass.

There was nothing sexy about the way Magnus pulled the zipper down and slowly let the hoodie slide from his arms. Still, Alec couldn't take his eyes off him.

Magnus threw the hoodie on the bench and turned to Alec. 

Yesterday Alec had given him the tank top and the sweatpants. Now he cursed himself for the choice of clothing. 

The tank top left nothing to his imaginations. Strong biceps, defined pecs on full display. Alec's sweatpants were a little too long. Magnus had turned them over twice at the waistband, which is why they now sat quite low on his hips, emphasizing his crisp, well-shaped, rounded butt.

Alec's mouth went dry and he half emptied his water bottle before the training even started. 

Magnus looked around the room. He took a Bō from the holder on the wall and stood in the middle of the impact mat.

That he didn't throw a Bō to Alec was a clear announcement. Alec was ready to take on the challenge. He got himself a Bō and faced Magnus on the impact mat.

The first attacks and blocks were only for the assessment of the other. Lurking, they circled each other, appraisingly, a challenging grin on their faces. 

The attacks on both sides became more ingenious and faster when they realized that they were equal.

The only sounds were the strained groans with every attack or block and the loud noise of wood hitting wood. 

Breathing heavily, Alec took a step back after Magnus successfully blocked his attack. He started the attack again when Magnus rammed his Bō into the ground. He used the momentum to pull himself up, similar to the pole vault. When Magnus' body and the Bō formed a 90° angle, Magnus made a turn and kicked Alec in the diaphragm. With a "Uff!" Alec landed on his butt. He watched helplessly as Magnus' body wriggled around the Bō as he descended, similar to a pole dance.

Which of course Alec only knew from the movies. 

"Well, that was fun." Magnus' superior grin was outrageous. Outrageously sexy. The competetive gleam in his eyes were hot. No, not just hot but 

_H.O.T.!!! _

written in italic capital letters. With three full-stops and three exclamation marks.

"Playing dirty? I like that on a man. And sharing a shower afterwards."

Alec got up and threw the Bō to the side. So, hand to hand combat then. 

Magnus was light-footed, a quick thinker, his fighting technique showed great ... adaptability.

Alec noticed that Magnus was not only trained in self-defense, but also had some skills in various martial arts. 

Alec was having fun, really fun. Usually Jace was his sparring partner. Only now was Alec really aware of the difference between routine and challenge. He and Jace knew each other inside out. They could almost fight blindfolded, they had become predictable for the other.

But fighting with Magnus was different. Alec couldn't lose his focus for a second. Magnus was the opposite of boring. 

Magnus had no problem blocking Alec's punches and kicks. Alec tried different combinations, tested Magnus. Taekwondo was in Magnus' repertoire just like Aikidō.

Once again they circled each other. Both were looking for a moment of weakness, carelessness, unwariness, in the other.

Magnus started the attack. Krav Maga. Alec's respect and esteem for Magnus grew more and more. He had read the report Clary had given him this morning after speaking to Aline. Luke spoke magnificently of Magnus. But not a word about why he no longer worked for him, just that he was on leave for an indefinite period only at his own request.

_What does a highly decorated cop, with these melee skills, with an immensely high clearance rate of the crimes assigned to him, do in a place like the one in which we met?_

Alec's breath was quick, heavy. Which was only partly due to the physical exertion of the martial arts training with Magnus.

Magnus made him curious, intrigued him, surprised him. And he turned him on. He couldn't deny that. So far, he was only attracted to him, enjoyed flirting with him. But Alec was developing more than just a crush.

Alec took a step back to get some distance to Magnus.

"Are you already done?" Magnus smiled innocently, but the gleam in his eyes revealed something else entirely.

~~~

"Oh, Magnus, if you can still walk, then we are not finished." Alec's low, hoarse voice and ambiguous saying distracted Magnus.

The next thing he knew was that he was lying on his back on the impact mat and looking into Alec's eyes. 

_These eyes can be my doom. These eyes with the darn sexy scar in the eyebrow and this sensual mouth._

Magnus looked from Alec's eyes to his mouth and back to his eyes. There was no longer any spark of mischief in Alec's eyes to be found. The determination to win had vanished. Alec was almost completely lying on Magnus, he could feel his body heat through the tank top. He could feel every shallow breath Alec was making and very quickly something entirely else as well. 

Magnus wiggled beneath him and Alec hissed. He saw Alec gazing at his mouth. Magnus ran his hands over Alec's arms up to his shoulders.

Alec looked up again in Magnus' eyes. His mouth opened slightly as if to say something. But Magnus put his two hands in Alec's hair and slowly pushed his head down.

Alec made no resistance. His lips were soft but firm. His tongue gingerly at first, almost hesitant.

_The best kiss is the one that has been exchanged between the eyes before they reach the lips. _

Alec rested a forearm on the impact mat. He tenderly fondled Magnus' hairline on the neck. The other hand stroked Magnus' upper arm and side. His kiss gradually became more demanding.

Magnus took his hands out of Alec’s hair and described large circles on Alec’s back. It didn't take long for Magnus' cock to get hard. With both hands he grabbed Alec's buttocks and pressed him even closer.

Moaning, Alec broke the kiss. Gripping Magnus' waist, he dropped onto his back, turning them both around.

Magnus straddled Alec's hips. He grinded his crotch against Alec’s groin. The friction was wonderful.

Alec's hands went up Magnus' thigh to his hips. 

Magnus grabbed the hem of his tank top and pulled it over his head. He carelessly tossed it next to him.

Alec caressed every inch of Magnus' body with his eyes before continuing to explore him with his hands.

Magnus rested his hands on Alec's thigh. He didn't stop rolling his hips, grinding against Alec's lap. 

Alec fingers ran along the grooves between Magnus 'ribs, his thumbs rubbed at Magnus' nipple. He raised his upper body, his hands on Magnus' shoulders, neck, jaw. 

Even under the tight tank top, Magnus could see how Alec's abs tensed with this sit up. At this sight his cock twitched appreciatively.

Gladly, Magnus let himself be pulled in an embrace and searched for Alec's mouth. He was so incredibly hard. With every move of his hips he felt Alec's cock pressed against his crotch.

Magnus suppressed the need for a breath as long as he could. 

"I would like to continue this somewhere where it is a little more comfortable." Magnus could feel Alec's heart racing.

"Would you like to?" Alec's tongue slowly traced the contours of Magnus' upper lip.

Magnus' answer was simply to kiss the tip of Alec's tongue. He rose from Alec's lap and held out his hand.

Alec let Magnus pull him up. Magnus picked up his tank top from the floor without letting go of Alec's hand.

They went to the bench where Magnus had taken off his hoodie. He put on the tank top, but left the zip on the hoodie open.

Alec looked at the tent, which he had built quite visibly in his thin sweatpants, and also handed Magnus a towel so that he could cover himself if necessary before opening the door to the training room and taking a look into the hallway.

"All clear."

Alec sprinted towards the elevator. He couldn't extend the lead, because Magnus was immediately running after him. Thank God no one paid any attention to their races.

Laughing, they leaned against the wall of the elevator, trying to catch their breath. Alec pushed the button for the right floor and held out his hand. Magnus followed the request and Alec pulled him into his arms. 

Alec's kisses made a swarm of butterflies dance wildly inside of Magnus.

This lazy kiss was even more intense than the demanding one in the training room before. 

_The slower the kiss, the faster the heartbeat._

The ride in the elevator was much too short.

When the door opened, Magnus pulled Alec by the hand into the hallway. "To your's or to mine?" 

Alec looked at Magnus and laughed. "Does this pickup line work normally?"

Magnus shrugged. "I've always wanted to say that."

"To mine. I want you in my bed." Alec pulled Magnus into his room.

"Could we please lock the door? I mean I have nothing to hide, but I don't want anyone to walk in on us." Alec hadn't used a key to open the door and Jace had made it clear that this was neither common nor necessary.

~~~

Alec closed the door behind Magnus and locked it.

He took Magnus' towel and put it with his own over the desk chair. 

Magnus stood in front of the bed and followed Alec's movements with his eyes as he walked up to him.

Alec stopped in front of Magnus, pushed the hoodie off his shoulders and threw it in the approximate direction of the desk. He slipped his fingers under Magnus' tank top and shoved the fabric up Magnus' body with his thumbs. Magnus raised his arms so Alec could slip it over his head. It ended up somewhere next to the hoodie. 

Alec's hands caressed Magnus' shoulders, his pecs and wandered down his abs to the waistband of the sweatpants. When Magnus nodded, Alec stuck his thumbs beneath the waistband and pushed down the sweatpants to Magnus' ankles. He knelt in front of Magnus and gave his cock a peck through the fabric of the boxerbriefs. He took off his shoes and socks before helping Magnus get rid of the sweatpants.

Magnus sat on the bed and watched as Alec undressed. Alec went around the bed and sat on the edge of the bed, facing Magnus, one leg on the floor, the other angled on the mattress.

He just reached out and Magnus dropped on his back. 

But Alec didn't lie down next to Magnus. He just slid a little further on the bed, rested his head on his angled arm and looked at Magnus, soaking in his appearance.

Magnus took Alec's free hand and played with his fingers. Alec brought Magnus' hand to his lips and kissed every single knuckle. He turned Magnus' hand around, kissed his palm, the sensitive skin on the inside of his wrist. His kisses followed the path to the crook of his arm. 

His eyes wandered over Magnus' body, caressing him with his eyes.

_He is so beautiful. I don't know where to kiss him first, what to touch next. I could stop the time and it still wouldn't be enough._

Alec gently stroked Magnus' stomach, smiling as Magnus tensed his abs because of the tickling sensation. With his index finger he drew a line from Magnus' throat to his navel. His fingers wandered through the hills and valleys of his ribs, grazing the flat plain of his abs. With his thumb he circled Magnus' nipples, which hardened under the touch.

Magnus inhaled deeply and let the breath escape slowly. He stroked the arm on which Alec rested his head, watching Alec looking at Magnus' body and examine it with his fingers. 

Magnus' skin prickled under Alec's ministrations. He was excited, aroused, but still relaxed. He almost purred like a cat, he felt so cared for.

When Alec had tenderly caressed every inch of Magnus' torso, he sat up and looked Magnus in the eye. "I wanna see you."

Magnus raised his hips so Alec could take off his boxer briefs. Alec sat next to Magnus' hips. He shifted his upper body slightly backwards and leaned on his elbows. 

He ran his free hand over Magnus' shin, knee and thigh. He drove down again on the outside of his leg. It went up the calf and over the sensitive hollow of the knee. Magnus had automatically bent his leg. When Alec massaged the inside of Magnus' thigh with his thumb, Magnus spread his thighs wider.

Magnus was getting impatient. He enjoyed Alec's touch and his tenderness, but with Alec's hand so close and yet so far from his cock he squirmed, pushed himself towards Alec.

Alec ran his index finger along Magnus' cock and Magnus couldn't suppress a moan. With the precum pearling out of the slit Alec painted small circles on Magnus' belly. 

"You are so incredibly beautiful. I could look at you all day." Alec never stopped brush his thumb over the velvety skin of Magnus' cock.

"Oh, believe me, I really appreciate your compliment. But at the moment I would rather prefer actions to words."

Alec snickered softly. He sat up again, knelt on the bed, and leaned over to his bedside table. From one of the drawers he took lube and a pack of condoms, which he held up. Magnus shook his head. Alec knew that Magnus, like himself, was tested regularly. It was common in her job. 

He threw the condoms back in the drawer and sat down next to Magnus. He leaned over Magnus' thigh and supported himself on the mattress with his elbow next to Magnus' knee. He bent one leg, resting his hand on Magnus' hip. With his foot he pushed the second pillow a little to the side.

He continued to caress Magnus with his fingers and to look at him. Magnus' skin tingled, his nerves reacting to the slightest touch.

Finally, Alec's attention turned to Magnus' cock. He stroked his length. Pushed down the delicate skin and exposed the head. He repeated it several times, twisting his wrist slightly, watching Magnus' reactions. 

Magnus put his hand over Alec's, not guiding him, just needing the contact. His other hand searched for Alec's lying on his hip to interlock their fingers.

When Magnus' slit leaked enough precum, Alec drove his thumb over Magnus' frenulum. Oh, the sounds he elicited from Magnus' mouth. With all his senses Alec was with Magnus. To see his fabulous body, to hear him softly moan his name, to touch his soft skin.

He picked up a drop of precum with the tip of his tongue, circled the edge of the head. Magnus gasped his name, tightening his grip around their interwoven fingers.

Alec pulled the foreskin up above the tip of Magnus' cock and put his lips over it. He lowered his mouth and hand along the shaft as far as he could. He took a deep breath of Magnus' scent. 

Alec loved doing this, everything about this; the taste, the smell, the feeling at his lips, on his tongue. He could look at his lover, watch his reactions to what he was doing to him. His tongue felt the vein at the base of Magnus' cock.

When his mouth went up Magnus' length, his hand followed. If Alec lowered his head, his hand led the way.

Magnus let go of Alec's hand. He stroked his own abs and upper body, alternately rubbing his nipples between his thumb and forefinger.

Alec felt that Magnus build up his pleasure, his knees trembled, his groans grew longer, louder. 

That turned him on as well. He took Magnus deep in his mouth, sucked him, hollowed his cheeks; the grip on Magnus' cock tightened, his movements fastend slightly. Alec's groans sent vibrations from Magnus' cock to his balls.

Magnus' body turned to the side, reaching out his hand, but could only touch Alec's thighs with his fingertips because Alec was lying too slanted on the bed to get a proper hold on him.

But it was enough to make Alec slide closer to Magnus. Magnus reached under the back of Alec's knee and pulled him slightly towards him. Alec understood the hint. He knelt with both legs on the mattress so that Magnus could take off his boxer briefs.

Magnus slid down the mattress a little further and maneuvered Alec's leg to the other side of his body, causing Alec to straddled Magnus' torso. 

The sight Magnus was offered made his mouth water. Magnus buried his nose in the soft skin of Alec's balls and took a deep breath. One by one he put the sacs in his mouth.

He spread Alec's buttocks and ran his flat tongue several times along Alec's crack before the tip of his tongue breached his rim. 

With a deep moan, Alec pushed himself back onto Magnus' tongue. The groan around his cock was Magnus' incentive. Alec's pleasure was his pleasure; they reinforced each other.

Magnus buried his tongue in Alec's ass and his nose in his crack. With his thumbs he applied gentle pressure on Alec's perineum. His tongue kept repeating the game of pulling out of Alec’s tight channel, licking his rim teasingly and trying to get deeper into him than before.

Alec held Magnus' cock with one hand, but slowly released it from his mouth. He needed a moment. The feeling of Magnus' tongue, the slight pressure on his prostate was overwhelming.

"Magnus..." 

"Hmmhmm," Magnus hummed without stopping.

"I won't last long if you continue like that." Alec's breath was fast and shallow now.

Magnus didn't want Alec to come. Not yet, not like this. Slowly he pulled his tongue out of Alec. As a finish, he gave the ring of muscles several pecks, before running his hands up and down Alec's thigh.

Once again, Alec sucked at the tip of Magnus' cock, licking up the precum, and gently placed it on Magnus' stomach. 

He climbed down from Magnus and turned around. Lying next to him, he asked, "Do you have any preferences?" 

Magnus looked into Alec's eyes, which were wide with pleasure and desire. "I want to feel you from the inside."

Smiling, Alec turned on his stomach and wobbled his butt invitingly. He looked over his shoulder at Magnus, who was crouching on his heels and reaching for the lube. "You can do with me whatever I want."

Magnus laughed out loud and gave Alec a small, loving pat on the butt.

"Hmmm, spanking. I like this idea." Alec batted his lashes and Magnus laughed even more. Alec's foreplay was already promising. In the past, he had shared the bed with those who felt it was just a chore. Most of the time it just became a one night thing then. 

But a man who made him laugh in bed, he should at least keep him in bed for a long time, if not in his life. Having fun between the sheets with Alec wasn't limited to physical pleasure. 

Magnus kissed the sensitive area on Alec's lower back and ran his lips over his buttocks. He nibbled lightly on the firm muscles of his cheeks.

Magnus opened the tube with the lube and spread enough of it in his hand. "Oh, you have warm lube?!" Magnus was pleasantly surprised.

"Yeah, I'm sort of a little pussy about that," Alec admitted sheepishly. "I don't like that cold feeling at my hole."

"You won't hear any complaints from my side."

Alec spread his cheeks so Magnus had better access to prepare him. 

Magnus let out a dreamy sigh and took a moment to enjoy the sight. 

When Alec clenched his hole impatiently, he muttered a "Sorry, I got slightly carried away."

Magnus spread the warm lube in Alec's crack and around his entrance. With one finger he described small circles on Alec's rim. The other hand played with Alec's balls.

Alec raised his hips slightly, letting his balls hanging down, which Magnus gently gripped with one hand as he pushed his middle finger through the tight ring of muscle.

Alec took a deep breath, let go of his buttocks and put his cheek on his folded forearms. 

Magnus took his time. Slowly, he pushed his finger further in, watching how Alec's body reacted to this intrusion. He moved his finger, pulled it back, and pushed it in a little further each time than before.

Alec was already somewhat relaxed by the rimming, so that Magnus could soon stretch it with a second finger. Magnus turned his fingers around, spread them apart.

Alec grunted contentedly and pushed his ass towards Magnus. In one go he squeezed Magnus' fingers further in until they hit his prostate. Magnus felt Alec’s deep groans in his own balls. He continued to stretch Alec's tight channel, occasionally rubbing over the bundle of nerves. He let go of Alec's balls and stroked Alec's buttocks, his thighs and the sensitive hollow of the knees.

When Magnus inserted a third finger, Alec squirmed, looking for friction on his cock. 

Magnus' fingers, which ran up the inside of his thighs, made Alec's hips rise again. Magnus reached under Alec's body and gripped his cock. The angle wasn't ideal but the simultaneous up and down on his cock and the in and out of his ass were enough for Alec. For the moment anyway.

When Alec tightened around Magnus' fingers, he pulled out. He spread the rest of Lube from his fingers at Alec's entrance and his ass crack. He couldn't resist kissing Alec's buttocks. Magnus released Alec's cock, whereupon Alec lay down on his side. Magnus gave him enough room to turn around.

Alec sat up, reached into Magnus' nape and pulled him over for a kiss. Alec's kiss was tender and demanding at the same time. He put his arm around Magnus to pull him closer.

_I could have every single inch of his body pressed tight against mine and I'd still say 'pull me closer'. _

When Magnus broke the kiss breathlessly, Alec ran a thumb over Magnus' cheekbone. He looked Magnus in the eye, looked at his mouth and looked up again. Their eyes met and both smiled at each other.

Magnus noticed that Alec's smile turned into a grin. The next moment a push to his chest made him fall back onto his back. Alec got the lube, pressed some of it on his hand and reached for Magnus' cock. 

"This feels so good." Magnus leaned on his elbow and watched Alec apply the lube on his cock.

Unconsciously, Alec licked his lower lip. Magnus got even harder, his cock twitched briefly in Alec's hand. Alec laid Magnus' cock on his stomach and stroked the length again before spreading lube over his own cock.

"Just so you know, I'm going to fuck you now."

Alec straddled Magnus and took his cock in his hand. He guided it through his crack before pressing it against his entrance. 

Alec slowly descended on Magnus' cock. He threw his head back and let out a long, moaning sound. Magnus had prepared it thoroughly with three fingers, but that was nowhere near the length or girth of Magnus' cock. At first, Alec moved carefully on Magnus' cock until the initial burning turned into pleasure. Only now did he change the angle, circle his hips, aim at his prostate. 

Magnus' torso was still resting on his elbows, so that Alec could use his shoulders as a support. 

Magnus leaned forward slightly, ran his nose through Alec’s chest hair and looked for his nipples. Alec arched his back and pressed against him. He tried to keep his upper body as calm and stable as possible so Magnus could suck on the small, hard buds. Magnus' hard thrusts provided a constant stimulus for his prostate.

Alec grabbed Magnus' face, lifting it up, his palms enveloping his jaw, his thumbs caressing his cheeks. He wanted to kiss him, he needed to kiss him.

Magnus' toes curled, his elbows gave way under him and he sank backwards, pulling Alec with him, who didn't want to interrupt the kiss.

"Alec ..." Magnus wrapped his arms around Alec’s shoulder and waist. Alec’s hands tucked into Magnus' hair, massaging his skalp. 

Magnus felt Alec's hard cock against his stomach. He reached for Alec's butt, spread the cheeks and increased the speed of his thrusts.

At some point Alec was unable to reciprocate Magnus' kisses. The pleasure was too overwhelming. He pushed himself up on Magnus' shoulder, raised and leaned back. He used Magnus' legs as a leverage to bounce on his lover's cock. 

The angle was perfect! "Oh, fuck ...! Magnus!" Alec gasped. It was too much but still not enough. He wanted to come but he didn't want it to ever end.

Alec clenched around Magnus' cock as his pleasure increased to infinity.

Magnus had never seen such a wonderful sight in his life. Alec’s beautiful, muscular body bent back, small drops of sweat glittered in the fine hair on his chest, his firm nipples peeping out of it.

Alec shamelessly took his pleasure on his dick. Alec's own cock wagged with the movements. Magnus saw threads of precum stretch from the tip of Alec’s cock to his stomach. 

"Alec..."

Alec's contracting channel around his dick, the sound of their physical union, drove him ever closer to the edge. 

"Alec ..."

"I'm so close, Magnus." 

Magnus sat up and smothered Alec's groans with a passionate kiss. He pulled Alec's legs, which are straddling his thighs, towards him and wrapped them around his waist. Without interrupting the kiss, Magnus put his hand on Alec's small of his back, rose to his knees, and carefully slipped Alec onto his back.

In this position, Magnus could fuck Alec with the speed and hard thrusts they both needed.

"Yes, Magnus, yes! Just like this!" Alec crossed his ankles behind Magnus' back. He slid his hand between their bodies, to tuck his own cock, but Magnus caught the hand and pinned it above Alec's head, their fingers intertwining. 

Magnus' grip on Alec's cock was firm, his stroking in sync with his thrusting into Alec’s ass. 

Alec searched for Magnus' mouth, his hand scratching Magnus' back, leaving red streaks and marks. 

And Alec exploded. Magnus bestowed him the most intense orgasm he'd ever had. He tilted his head back into the pillow and screamed out his bliss.

Magnus kissed and nibbled at his exposed throat. He stroked Alec through his climax before he allowed himself to shoot his own load into Alec’s ass with several thrusts. This sensation at his oversensitive prostate made Alec shudder. 

Magnus pressed his forehead against Alec's until his heart rate returned to normal. 

Alec removed his hand from Magnus' grip. He embraced Magnus and held him close. His legs, which had been around Magnus' waist, fell exhausted onto the mattress.

After a moment, Magnus wanted to slowly loosen Alec's grasp, but Alec's grip on his waist didn't loosen. "No!"

Magnus chuckled, brushed a strand of hair from Alec's forehead, and kissed his pout. 

Alec returned the slow kisses, sighed contentedly.

"Do you like cuddling after sex?"

"Hmmhmm." Alec ran his hands up and down Magnus' back.

"Unfortunately I would have to withdraw my cock now before it gets uncomfortable." Magnus waited for Alec to nod briefly before he raised his hips until his cock slipped out of Alec. He felt some of his sperm slowly flowing out of Alec's hole and drip onto his cock. Magnus shivered blissfully.

Alec wanted to treat himself to a few minutes more of this warmth and comfort.

"In the second drawer is a pack of moist cleansing wipes."

Magnus reached out, but couldn't open the drawer. He pecked Alec on his mouth and rose from him.

On his knees he slid over to the edge of the bed and took out the wipes. He opened the box, pulled out a wipe and pressed it between Alec's legs. He pulled out another wipe and handed it to Alec before taking one for himself to clean his cock.

Alec wiped the sperm off his stomach. "Why can't that just dust?" 

Magnus blinked up in surpris and started laughing loudly.

"What?" Alec looked up at Magnus, who was slowly calming down.

Magnus shook his head, smiling. "Nothing," he replied and kissed Alec.

"It's true. I mean, if sperm were powdery, you could just brushed the dust off and good is."

Magnus took Alec by the hand and pulled him from the bed toward the bathroom. "Didn't you tell me about sharing a shower earlier?"

Alec grinned and followed Magnus. Alec’s bathroom was similar to the one in the room Magnus had stayed in. 

Alec turned on the water and pulled Magnus close, who put his arms around his neck immediately. 

Alec bent down and kissed Magnus. He was still in his post-coital high. 

Magnus smiled into the kiss. "Go on like this and I'm ready for a repetition."

"I'd like to, but we'll have a meeting with the team in about half an hour." Alec grabbed Magnus' buttocks and pulled him closer for a precious moment. With a sigh, he released Magnus and took a bottle of shampoo instead. First, he washed Magnus' hair and then his own. Alec's touches with which he washed Magnus were tender but not sensual.

"Oh God, Magnus! Your back!" Alec was startled when he turned Magnus around and saw what he had done to Magnus' back.

"I am sorry." Alec placed small kisses on Magnus' nape.

"What about my back?" Magnus looked over his shoulder and tried to look at his back.

"I scratched you pretty badly. I don't know I did it at all."

"Don't worry. When you walk away with scratch marks, you know you did well." Magnus smug grin summoned a smile on Alec’s face and a kiss on his lips. 

He turned off the shower and wrapped Magnus in a large towel.

"I wanted to try the tub all the time." Magnus rubbed himself dry and wrapped the towel around his waist.

"Honey, we don't have enough time for that now. Next time, okay?" Alec's tone was apologetic.

"Next time? Will there be a next time?" Magnus was so surprised by Alec's answer that he had barely noticed the pet name.

"Won't there be a next time?" Alec looked like a little boy who had been told that Santa had forgotten his gift.

And Magnus fell in love with Alec. Completely, permanently and as thoroughly like it had never happened to him before. 

"Do you want a next time?" Magnus' newly discovered feelings for Alec startle him a little, unsettling him. He always was the type of guy who fell fast and hard, but what he already felt for Alec after less than a day was record-breaking even by his standards.

Alec didn't need to think. It was their first time having sex and not only was it better, it was even more intense, intimate, than with someone with whom he had had a long term relationship. The wordless communication was there in an instant, very naturally. Every little reaction was understood by the other one, they didn't have to expressly say what they wanted, what they liked, what they needed. Magnus just knew how to love him without being told. 

Alec went up to Magnus, cupped his face and looked him straight in the eye. "Magnus, I want you to be the first thing I touch in the morning and the last thing I taste at night."

"I feel like I am going to faint any moment." 

Tenderly, Alec kissed Magnus. "There is no reason to do so." Alec leaned his forehead against Magnus' for a moment.

With regret, Alec withdrew. "Come on, Magnus, we have to get dressed. I still have a job to do." Alec and Magnus went back into the room to make themselves presentable. 

"Izzy should have completed her investigation, so maybe we could get enough clues. I hope the meeting will give me some results."

"You want me to attend the meeting?" Magnus put on the clean boxerbriefs Alec had got him.

"Yes, of course!" 

Magnus picked up the tank top and sweatpants he had worn for training. "Then I better put on my uniform. That makes more impression than your sweatpants."

Alec took the clothes from Magnus' hand and threw them at the bathroom door.

"I think we can manage this." Alec kissed Magnus on the mouth, winked at him, unlocked the door and went into Magnus' room to get his uniform.

"Wow!" Magnus sat on Alec's bed. A lot has happened. "What a day," he said to himself. And the day wasn't even halfway through...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, the training scene. I hope it wasn't too obvious that I had no idea what I was writing about. 🤷 I hope you accept the fluffy smut as compensation.
> 
> Those who have read ['Running with the dogs'](https://archiveofourown.org/series/1290323) know that I have a weakness for quotes. So what sounds really good isn't mine. 😉
> 
> Every comment means the world to me. It is a great way to to show your support and it is the best motivation for me to write. What is your favorite line? Which part do you like the most?


	5. Changes und Results

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The day at 'The Institute' continues. At the beginning not necessarily as pleasant as in the morning. But there is nothing Magnus can't handle.

Alec and Magnus walked hand in hand to the elevator. They drove down the floors in comfortable silence. When the elevator came to a halt, but before the door opened, Magnus let go of Alec's hand. 

Questioningly, Alec raised an eyebrow. 

"I don't want you to get into trouble. After all, this is your place of work."

"And I thought you were ashamed of me." Alec smiled. "Don't worry about me."

"At least let's keep the appearance of professionalism." Magnus winked at him and left the elevator when the door opened.

Since he didn't know the way, he stopped in the corridor. Normally he would have looked around curiously and made mental notes. But he only had eyes for Alec, who stepped out of the elevator and walked slowly towards him with a slight smile. After getting Magnus' uniform out of his room, Alec had taken another suit out of his wardrobe to dress. 

Magnus was questioning his decision to let go of Alec's hand when Izzy stepped out of one of the rooms.

"Hey you two. Mom and Dad have an unforeseen meeting with a new client and our meeting has been postponed until later. So we can have a little lunch together. Jace and Clary are waiting for us."

"Okay." Alec nodded to his sister. "Is that okay with you?" Alec addressed the question to Magnus. 

"Of course. Since a little physical exercise stimulates my appetite."

Izzy looked at Magnus curiously and then turned to her brother with a questioning expression. He could hide his blush from his sister by entering the elevator again. Magnus quickly followed, evading Izzy's inquisitive look. 

Izzy becomes even more suspicious, commenting on the fact that Magnus and Alec were standing closer together in the elevator than was absolutely necessary, with a raised eyebrow. Good thing the stay in the elevator didn't last long.

In the cafeteria, Alec handed Magnus a tray, cutlery and napkins and let Izzy go ahead. Izzy filled a bowl with tomato soup and put ham sandwich on her plate. 

Magnus looked at the selection of dishes and opted for bruschetta and a Caesar salad. 

It took Alec a little longer. He swayed between baked potatoes with herb curd and wraps. Magnus stood patiently next to him and waited for him to make a decision. Alec picked up the wraps filled with salmon, considered for a moment and then took some of those with turkey and cheese. As a side dish, he chose tomatoes and mozzarella with pesto and balsamic vinegar. As he passed, he grabbed a small bottle of ginger ale. 

Magnus had ignored the drinks at breakfast because he preferred coffee in the morning. Now he was spoiled for choice. He finally took a bottle of the elderberry flavored water.

"Do you have everything, Magnus? Do you need anything else?" Alec glanced behind Izzy, who was already going to the tables. He waited for Magnus to catch up with him and went ahead to where they were sitting this morning.

Jace and Clary were already seated at the table and greeted the new arrivals. They didn't seem to have shown up long before, they were just starting to eat.

"Alec, where did you get the tomato and mozzarella salad from?" Clary's eyes narrowed as Alec pulled a slice of tomato through the balsamic vinegar and stuck the fork into his mouth with pleasure.

"Crap, I missed that." Clary pouted.

"I'll get you one."

Clary looked up in surprise when Jace got up. "Okay thanks."

Jace bent down to Clary, gently brushed a strand of hair from her cheek and gave her a quick kiss. Clary watched her boyfriend thoughtfully as he walked through the rows of tables.

She looked around questioningly. Alec and Magnus looked at each other and shrugged. 

When Jace came back, he put a plate and a small bottle of Coke on the table in front of Clary. "I brought you something to drink too."

"Didn't you get anything?" Clary asked.

"No, why?"

"Oh nothing." With a quiet chuckle to herself, Clary ate her mozzarella. 

~~~

During the meal, Clary kept looking over at Jace, which was neither hidden from Alec nor Magnus. He seemed to have understood the advice with the little gestures. 

Magnus looked at Alec and smiled at him with a wink. Alec bit into his wrap to hide a grin, which he couldn't do entirely. He knew his sister's powers of observation.

Izzy watched the silent exchange between Alec and Magnus. "I know that expression. You had sex!"

Alec almost dropped the entire filling of his wrap. With red cheeks, he lifted tomatoes and lettuce from the table and tossed them on the tray.

Why did he feel like he had to defend himself from his baby sister? 

"That wasn't sex, it was naked poetry."

Magnus nodded in agreement. "I could say more, but you don't share certain compliments."

Grinning, Jace patted Alec on the shoulder. "Dude, you didn't waste time."

"You just have to say that. I can see exactly what you did when you skipped training."

Alec indicated the spot on his own neck where there were clear marks on Jace's that he hadn't had at breakfast. "You have something on your neck."

Jace looked at Clary in love. "Bite marks are love notes written in flesh." 

Alec rolled his eyes, took Magnus' plate and shoved his own over to Magnus. Both had eaten half of their lunch and were now swapping without asking the other if he wanted it at all.

Now Izzy was the one who rolled her eyes. "You are so married. Already."

~~~

Magnus turned to Izzy to distract her from the subject. "How was Emil's autopsy?"

"Hmmpf ..." Clary made an indefinable sound, swallowed the tomato and continued: "We don't talk about work while eating. It's a strict rule."

Magnus looked at Alec, who was biting off a piece of Magnus' Bruschetta. He could only nod.

"On the one hand, we don't have much free time anyway, which we can spend together, and on the other hand, we've often planned entire missions here in the cafeteria without the team," explained Izzy.

"Yeah," Jace agreed. "Of course without the latest background. In the later meeting with the team, we had to overthrow all our great plans over again."

Alec nick. "Previously, movie nights or game nights with the family inevitably escalated to planing missions. That's why we have this rule."

"Whose idea was that?"

Everyone looked at each other questioningly. "Um, I don't know."

Izzy licked the spoon and raised her hand.

"And you really have something like family game nights?" Magnus didn't know that. Of course he had friends in the city with whom he'd met on weekends when he was off duty. But here in the country he had at best acquaintances who he greeted on the street or raised his glass in the pub. 

Everyone nodded. "Quite regularly, even. If we don't have a job to do, it means."

Alec put a hand on Magnus' shoulder to get his attention. "Dessert?"

"Always!"

"What do you want?"

"Surprise me."

When he got up, Alec leaned on Magnus' shoulder and squeezed it briefly just before he made his way to the buffet.

"Can you bringing me anything as well?" Jace called after him.

"You have feet, Jace, get it yourself."

Jace grumbled something underneath his breath.

Magnus looked at Jace and cocked his head towards Clary. Multiple times.

"Babe, do you want dessert?"

"Will you bring me some?" Clary's puppy eyes could make Bambi envy.

"Yes, I was going to."

"Then I would like a piece of cheesecake."

He kissed Clary's mouth and stood up.

"Do I have to find my own boyfriend before someone asks me if I want dessert too."

"You're single?" Magnus stopped putting the plates together on a tray to get more space on the table.

"Yes, I don't get out of the laboratory very often and there aren't many who understand my interest in studying slime."

"Izzy, you're not just examining slime." Alec placed a full tray on the table. He handed Izzy a bowl of rice pudding and a glass of chai latte. "Careful, it's hot."

"You are the very best big brother."

"I know." Alec smiled when Izzy literally lunged for her dessert.

"You can choose what you want to eat. I also brought you coffee." Alec placed two cups of coffee on the table, one with milk and the other one black.

"What do you want?" Magnus looked at what Alec had brought.

"I don't care, I like both. Pick something."

"Okay, the first one looks like Tiramisu. But what's the other one?"

"Vanilla ice cream baked in batter."

"I'll take that. I've never eaten anything like this." Magnus took the plate from the tray and placed it in front of him. Alec handed him a cake fork and a dessert spoon.

Alec waited until Magnus ate the first bite before trying his tiramisu.

"Mmmmmh, that's delicious. An incredible combination."

Alec smiled lopsided. "I'm glad you like it."

"I also like my dessert, thanks for asking, Alec."

"Since you don't eat anything other than rice pudding for dessert, I just assumed it." Alec stuck out his tongue for a moment.

"And there comes my dessert." Clary reached out both hands expectantly. "Thank you, Jace."

"I'm happy to do it for you." Jace had also brought a piece of cheesecake for himself.

Magnus heard the four distinctive tones of the CTU ringtone from the TV show '24' and Alec took his cell phone out of his pocket.

"Mom and Dad take even longer. The appointment with the new customer is more extensive than expected. We shouldn't wait any longer for them. The team meeting is in 15 minutes."

"I haven't eaten my cheesecake yet," Jace groaned.

"You usually inhale your dessert in 3 minutes, so so don't act like that now." Izzy crumpled up a napkin and threw it at Jace.

Magnus ate the last bite of ice cream and drank his coffee. He wiped his mouth and hands and put the used napkin on the tray.

"I'd like to go back to the gentlemen's room first. My hands are pretty sticky."

"I wanted to go there anyway." Alec got up and was about to grab the trays when Izzy said, "Leave it. You brought it, I'll take it back."

"Thank you, Izzy. See you soon." 

Magnus grabbed his thick uniform jacket, which he had hung over the back of the chair, and followed Alec.

After the hand washing detour, Alec led Magnus to the meeting rooms. Izzy, Jace, and Clary were already there because Alec had used the opportunity to kiss Magnus thoroughly in the seclusion of the washroom.

Magnus looked around the room, which was dominated by a long table with various soft drinks, two different colored thermos flasks, snacks, glasses and cups. 

There were comfortable-looking chairs around the table and something on the wall that looked like a big TV.

To Magnu's surprise, Alec didn't sit at the head of the table but went around the it. He pulled out the third chair for Magnus and took off his jacket before sitting next to him. The first place remained free.

Opposite Magnus, with his back to the door, Clary was sitting next to Jace with Izzy taking the corner seat. The room soon filled up. Everyone seemed to have their own chair and sat down. Some talked, some poured drinks, some were busy with their iPads. 

Magnus recognized a face as soon as the man entered the room. He had met him with Jace when they went to the training room.

Raj stopped in the door. His eyes were like daggers, this time Magnus didn't feel them in the back, but in the chest. He looked around for an empty seat and went to the back of the table.

_Someone seems to be pissed. Am I sitting in your seat?_

Magnus didn't care. He looked over at Alec, who was listening to Izzy and hadn't noticed the exchange of views with Raj. 

When someone sat next to him, Magnus turned his eyes from Alec and looked at his neighbor, who held his hand out nicely.

"Hi, I'm Andrew. But everyone calls me Underhill." 

Magnus took the hand of the handsome blond man and introduced himself. "Magnus Bane. Nice to meet you."

"We are complete," said the woman who had come in last and closed the door behind her.

"All right. Thank you Sophia." Alec got up. "Before we start I want to introduce to you Inspector Magnus Bane." Alec put a hand on Magnus' shoulder. "He has a lot of experience in solving crimes and is therefore an asset to the team."

"Oh, I have talents you can't put on resumes." Magnus winked at Alec.

Alec blushed and looked a bit bashfully at the iPad lying in front of him. Still, a smile spread across his face. He sat back down in his seat and waited for the giggle to subside. 

"Let's begin." Alec gestured into the room.

Underhill got up and sat in the free space next to Alec. He typed something on his iPad and the big TV came to life. Underhill wiped the surface of his iPad and the information he wanted to present to the team appeared on the big screen.

"Izzy found car keys belonging to a rental car in the late Mr. Pangborn's pockets. I contacted the agency and received a copy of the contract." The contract appeared on the screen with a swipe. "The identity card is fake. The address that he gave leads to nothing. We still don't know where he lived."

Magnus understood the relevance of this information. If it was possible to find out where Emil lived, the apartment could be examined for traces that could lead to conclusions about Valentine's whereabouts.

Another swipe on the iPad and Mr. Pangborn looked down at them from a photo on an ID card. "I was only able to evaluate the photocopy of the ID card, but it seems to be a very good job. We are currently checking all known counterfeiters. We assume that it is a local job." Underhill got up. "That's it from my side." 

"Thank you, Andrew." 

Underhill nodded and went back to his seat next to Magnus. 

Raj got up next. He didn't walk along the side of the table where Magnus was sitting, but on the side of the door. He circled the table and sat next to Alec.

Now Magnus realized why this seat was left vacant. Anyone who presented their results to the team sat next to Alec during the time.

A kind of family tree appeared on the screen. Valentine Morgenstern was at the top. Below two photos with the names Jonathan Morgenstern and Sebastian Verlac.

Magnus knew Jonathan Morgenstern, of course, but had never heard of Sebastian Verlac. 

In the third and fourth rows there were other photos and / or names. Some of the names were known, but there was no photo and vice versa. Emil Pangborn's photo was fairly low in the hierarchy.

Raj shared what he could find out about the deceased. "We couldn't confirm a direct connection between him and Valentine or his two sons, but we could confirm it with someone on the lower level: Samuel Blackwell."

_Two sons? That's new to me._

Magnus only knew of one son, namely Jonathan Morgenstern. 

"Valentine has two sons? I only know Johnathan." Magnus asked his question in a low tone to Alec.

Alec answered just as quietly. "Sebastian Verlac is his second son. He lives in London and has nothing to do with Valentine or his company. To be on the safe side, however, he is under casual watch."

Raj, annoyed by the interruption of his explanation, grumbled: "Can I continue now? I am not here to give private tutoring to dilettantes." 

Before Alec was able to put Raj in his place, Underhill spoke up: "Look up the words 'politeness' and 'manners' in the dictionary, you will learn something for life."

Raj's lips tightened, but said nothing. The annoyance with this reprimand was clearly visible on the white knuckles that held the iPad. Magnus was worried for a moment that he would break it. 

"Can we come back to the topic? We all still have work to do." Jace tapped the tabletop with a ballpoint pen.

Raj looked over at Jace, who calmly returned his gaze and made a rotating movement with his hand. Raj ended his report on Emil Pangborn and Samuel Blackwell. With a look at Magnus and Underhill, that didn't hide his aversion, he went back to his seat.

Next up was Izzy. However, she didn't sit next to her brother because she had taken the corner seat on the other side of the table.

"The results of the autopsy didn't reveal anything really interesting. The content of the stomach doesn't allow us to pinpoint where Emil was in the last hours before his death. Fingerprints and DNA didn't show any results either."

Izzy transferred data from her iPad to the screen. "For this, the examination of the clothes and the car revealed a lot of traces to analyze. However, this wasn't to be expected otherwise with a rental car."

Magnus looked closely at the results. He was not a chemist and couldn't do much with this bare data. 

"Izzy, can you explain what you found in non-scientific terms?" Alec apparently felt the same way.

"Slime," Clary said, grinning.

"Exactly! I found slime. But what kind of slime?" Izzy winked at Clary.

Izzy explained that she had found plant leaves and seeds, various types of sand, limestone or calcium carbonate, clay and iron ore on his clothes and shoes.

"Some of these are the components of cement. Could you determine the fineness of grinding and the types of additives?" 

"The man knows slime!" Izzy beamed at him. "Yes, I could actually analyze that. But I was not able to limit this type of cement to a specific building. I lack the comparison points for that."

"I can possibly help out. Because technology can analyze traces, evaluate the results and draw the right conclusions from it, only humans can do that."

How had Magnus missed this kind of work. It's time for him to go back to his old job. 

"It's been over 10 years since I read a very interesting book by Jeffery Deaver. It's called 'The Bone Collector'. In this book, a New York detective collected all kinds of samples, organic and non-organic, in the city and created a database of the results. He was able to identify individual buildings based on the compositions of cement, for example, or use plant remains to find the exact park where this plant grows. It fascinated me so much that I decided to do exactly the same. I can only recommend it. "At the last sentence he looked at Alec.

"That was in a book?" As was to be expected, Raj spoke up.

Magnus suppressed the need to roll his eyes. "The book was made into a film. For those who find it difficult to read and are more likely to follow colorful pictures. Maybe it will make it easier for one or the other."

This guy had brushed him against the grain from the first moment. He couldn't explain it. Magnus felt his hackles rise. 

"Anyway," Magnus continued. "I am happy to make my database available to you." 

"Because so much happens in the one-horse town from which you come ..." Raj continued to provoke him. 

Magnus looked directly at Raj for the first time. "What is your problem?"

Raj puffed up. "What my problem is? I can tell you what my problem is. You gays..." 

Magnus interrupted him directly. "I am not gay." He put a hand on Alec's knees soothingly when he realized that Alec was about to step in.

Raj snorted. "Whoever believes it will be happy." 

Underhill pushed his sleeves up to his elbow, revealing an artful rainbow bracelet, and leaned forward. "I don't know what you want. You should be glad because it means few men less, who can be competitors for you when you try to hit on a woman. And believe me, you need every advantage you can get." 

Magnus put a hand on Underhill's shoulder to get his attention. 

"Such remarks always scrape the border of embarrassment. But it shouldn't be embarrassing for others, only for those who utters them. I appreciate your words, but please, give these poor remarks no further meaning. They are not worth your time." 

Magnus looked directly at Raj. "My knowledge is obviously very important for this investigation and it is a pleasure for me to share it with you."

Raj snorted and murmured: "That was quick. But it was clear that this would happen now. The boss' wife is setting himself up as important now. It was just a matter of time."

"And you're really not gay? Because if you were, I would definitely try to make a move." Underhill's words could only be heard by Magnus.

Magnus glanced at the rainbow bracelet and answered just as quietly. "I'm flattered. I'm bisexual. But I kind of feel already taken. Sorry."

They were so engrossed in their little private conversation that they stopped paying attention to Raj and his insulting words. So they were startled when Alec hit the table with both hands and rose.

~~~ 

"Enough! I've ignored your stupid remarks long enough in the hope that you will get bored at some point. But I won't let you insult my guest."

_And future husband! _

For nothing in the world would he let Magnus go without a fight. It hadn't escaped his attention that Magnus was talking quietly to Underhill, but couldn't understand what it was about. He had to admit that it gnawed at him like the fact itself. He had never thought of himself as a jealous boyfriend, but you always learn something new about yourself. He was also frustrated that he didn't know if he could call himself Magnus' boyfriend at all.

The addition of his strong feelings for Magnus, his innate protective instinct, his newly discovered ability to be jealous and his insecurity about their personal status, and the permanent annoyance associated with Raj's presence made his reaction to Raj's words sharper than he was used to.

"Either you are working on your attitude and refrain from making inappropriate comments in the future or I'll kick you out of my team and and I will find another task for you. Either way, today's incident will make an entry in your personnel file."

Raj protested, "You can't do that. You don't have to decide that."

"Raj, I've heard enough of you. I can and I will. I would like to continue now, please." 

Alec looked at Magnus and his hard look softened.

~~~ 

"As I said, I can certainly narrow down the search radius based on my database. What else did you find, Izzy?"

"Hawaiian sand and the fleshy leaves and seeds of a plant that is native to the Mediterranean." 

"I know of at least two places in New York that have Hawaiian sand. The first is a kindergarten and the second is a restaurant that has an outdoor beach bar."

Alec pointed to Sofia, who was already taking notes. "I'm checking that."

"What kind of plant did you find?" asked Magnus.

"Capparis spinosa, the caper bush, also called Flinders Rose. There is none in the botanical garden."

"I'm not sure, but I think I've read that the Israeli Foreign Minister brought a native plant with him when he last visited the local embassy. I don't know what it was." Magnus shrugged apologetically.

"It shouldn't be difficult to check," said Sophia. "It will be shown whether I will get one of the plant leaves for comparison."

"As far as cement is concerned, I need the exact composition. I would call an old colleague who could check it for me."

"All right. Do that." After Alec gave his approval, Magnus took his cell phone out of his pocket and dialed a number from his contacts.

"Hey Magnificent Magnus! What can I do for you?"

Alec raised an eyebrow and grinned.

Magnus raised his shoulders and cocked his head to the side, according to the motto "What should I say?"

"Hello Simon. You're on speaker." 

"Um, yes, hello, you guys," Simon's hesitant voice was heard. 

"Simon, are you in the precinct?"

"Of course I am, where else should I be? You know, my lack of private life doesn't exactly make coming home appealing."

Simon sighed. "But hey, the city has given me a new toy. I'm chasing old evidence through my new mass spectrometer. And you have no idea what else I have found. I think in some cases it could be a breakthrough. I'll be with Luke tomorrow..."

"Simon, unfortunately I have to interrupt you. Can you please look into the database for me if you can find a match when I tell you what I'm looking for?"

"Yes, of course I can. Can you email me that?"

Magnus looked at Alec, who shook his head. "These files don't leave the building. Sorry."

Simon heard Alec's answer. "Magnus, where on earth are you right now?"

"Am I allowed to tell him where I am?"

Alec nodded.

"Simon, I'm in 'The Institute' and have offered my help."

"No! Holy shit! Seriously? I don't believe it." The awe was clearly audible in Simon's voice. "And what should I check for you?" Simon's curiosity was piqued.

"Cement."

"Awe, Magnus, you just know what makes my heart beat faster."

The remark made Izzy laugh.

"What a shit that you can't email me the data. It would be easier if I could see it."

"Wait a minute, I'm going to sort this out."

Magnus turned to Alec. "FaceTime?"

Alec nodded and Izzy sent the data to the big screen.

"Ok, Simon. Switch to video call and I'll show you the chemical formulas." 

When Magnus could see Simon, Simon waved a greeting to him. 

"Ready? Now I'm pointing my phone at a screen. Say if you can read everything."

Simon confirmed and Magnus turned his phone around so he could film the screen. Jace, Clary and Izzy came into view.

"Magnus?" Simon whispered. "Magnus, the woman with the long black hair, who is she? I think I'm in love. I've never seen such a beautiful woman."

"Um, Simon?" Magnus smiled.

"Yes?"

"Even if you can no longer see her, she can definitely hear you."

"No, she can't. Tell me she didn't hear what I just said." Simon panicked through the phone.

Izzy put a hand over her mouth to suppress her laugh. While Jace and Clary grinned at each other, Alec frowned at Magnus phone.

"Oh, not just her, but also her big brother. And the whole team." 

"OhMyGod! OhMyGod! OhMyGod! I'm dead, right? I'm dead. I'm definitely dead."

"Simon, calm down. Focus on the task at hand." Magnus spoke quietly to Simon.

"Okay.Okay.Okay. I calm down. I calm down."

"Breathe, Simon! Can you tell me where this cement was used in New York?"

"Yes, of course I can. Give me a little time and I'll find out for you. Should I call you?"

"Rather write me an email. And thank you Simon. I owe you." 

"Oh, what? No! It's okay. I really missed working with you. There is only one Magnificent Magnus."

"Thank you, Simon. Take care. I'll get in touch with you," answered Magnus' guilty conscience. He had neglected his friends and colleagues quite a bit.

"Yeah, do that! Bye, Magnus!"

"Bye, Simon!" Magnus said goodbye and (except for Raj) the whole team gave a "Bye Simon!" before Magnus hung up.

"Give him some time. It will take the longest to enter the data into the computer. The evaluation itself is quick." 

"Thank you, Magnus. That will help us a lot."

It was on Magnus' tongue to say that he could imagine a way for Alec to show his gratitude, but he refrained from doing so. They weren't alone and it was his suggestion to stay professional.

Judging from Alec’s healthy complexion, he had been able to read Magnus’ mind. Magnus winked at him mischievously. 

Alec cleared his throat and turned to the team. "The next one, please."

So the meeting went on. Magnus noted that there seemed to be a fixed order in which each team member sat next to Alec and reported his results.

~~~

When the meeting was over, Alec made sure everyone knew their next tasks and dismissed them. The room soon emptied and Alec stood by with mixed feelings as Underhill and Magnus said goodbye to each other. 

Only Izzy, Jace and Clary stayed behind. Izzy could easily read Alec's expression and bumped his shoulder. "Relax, big brother. Magnus only has eyes for you."

"It doesn't look like that right now."

Izzy slid her hand under Alec's elbow and did the same to Magnus. "What are you two planning to do now?" Izzy looked at Magnus, who shrugged.

"I have to wait for Simon to answer. Until then, I'm open to any suggestion." At the last sentence he looked at Alec. Izzy pulled both men out of the meeting room. "Then I suggest you make yourself comfortable in Alec's office."

"But not too cozy," joked Jace. 

"I can't promise anything," countered Magnus.

Alec stood there helplessly. "I still have to read a few reports anyway." 

"See you later." Clary waved to Alec and Magnus before hooking up to Jace and heading in the opposite direction.

"I'm in the lab. Call me when there's something new." 

Alec gave Izzy a quick hug. "We will." 

"See you later, Magnus."

"See you later, my dear." Magnus bowed slightly. 

Alec led Magnus into his office. "Come in. Give me your jacket and sit down."

Magnus looked around the room. The furnishings were functional, masculine and the room even looked cozy thanks to the couch and the rug opposite the large desk.

"It's nice here."

"Thank you." Alec took the jacket from Magnus and hung it over a chair. "For the most part, it was Izzy's work." Alec pointed to the couch and Magnus took a seat.

"Would you like coffee or tea?" Alec sat behind his desk. 

"Tea would be wonderful, thanks." Alec picked up the cordless phone and typed three numbers on the keypad.

"Michael? Can you please bring tea for two and get some pastries? Thank you." Alec put the phone on the table and opened the drawer. With an iPad in his hand, he went up to Magnus.

"Since you are already involved in our investigation, I can also give you access to our files." He sat next to Magnus and handed him the iPad. "It contains everything we have about Valentine and his organization so far."

Magnus accepted the device. "Are you allowed to do that?"

"Who wants to stop me? You can complain to the boss." Alec looked at Magnus and smiled.

A knock on the door broke the eye contact. Alec got up and opened the door. He let in a young man carrying a tray. "Thank you, Michael. Put the tray on the coffee table. I'll do the rest."

Michael's bright smile was replaced by a frown when he saw Magnus sitting on the couch. He put the tray on the table in front of Magnus and turned to Alec. "Can I do anything else for you?"

"No thank you, that's all." 

Michael glanced at Magnus before leaving the room. Alec closed the door and came back to Magnus. He put two cups, saucers, a warmer, and a pot of tea on the table.

Alec poured Magnus and herself a cup of tea. Michael had thought of a sugar bowl and a small milk jug. There were several cookies in a small bowl.

"Oh, they're really good. Michael bakes them himself. Please take sugar and milk if you like." Alec added a spoonful of sugar to his tea. 

"He likes you," remarked Magnus. 

"What? Who?" Alec had no idea what Magnus was talking about.

Magnus cocked his head toward the door.

"Michael? No! How do you figure that out? I don't know if he is even fond of men." 

"Alec, you are a hopeless case. It was more than obvious."

"Magnus, I'm far too old for him. Besides, I'm no longer interested in other men." Mentally, Alec slapped his forehead with a rolled-up newspaper.

_Why don't you think before you speak? What impression should Magnus have of you now? We haven't talked about this topic yet._

Embarrassed, he took his cup and sat behind his desk to work. But Alec couldn't really concentrate. He kept looking over at Magnus once in a while.

"I'm flattered, Alec, but aren't you busy? Reading reports, approving missions?" Magnus asked without looking up from the iPad.

Alec sighed and read Victor's mission report again. Alec always welcomed when the reports weren't too flowery and striking, but factual and informative. But Victor's field reports were always as dry as three meters of forest path in midsummer. He had the talent to make every interesting mission sound unspectacular. They had the same effect on Alec as a soporific overdose. 

_No wonder he gets on so well with Raj. _

As if by itself the thought of the amazing sex with Magnus came to Alec's mind. Sex? Rather love-making, that describes it better. But is it true? For him it was more than just sex. But love? Wasn't that too big a word? 

But the thought of it, as stimulating as it was, wasn't even what distracted Alec from his work, rather their morning's training and the superior sublimity with which Magnus confronted Raj's verbal attacks.

When he read the same report for the fourth time without really internalizing what it was about, he gave up. He went over to the couch and sat next to Magnus. Careful, but determined, he took the iPad from Magnus and put it on the coffee table.

Magnus watched Alec and looked at him. "I was just reading this."

Alec put his left hand in Magnus' nape and played with his hair. "I know."

"These informations are very interesting."

"I know." Alec's voice was barely a little more than a murmur. Slowly, Alec pulled Magnus' head towards him. When Magnus closed his eyes, Alec's mouth touched Magnus' lips.

Alec just wanted a kiss. Or several. But what had started tender and soft quickly turned into a heavily smooching. Magnus' left arm wrapped around Alec's shoulder, his other hand between Alec's shoulder blades, pushing him even closer.

Alec's right arm wrapped around Magnus' waist. "Hmmmm, this is suposed to be work, right?" Magnus broke the kiss to take a breath.

Alec grunted in agreement and nibbled on Magnus' lower lip. 

"Whoah! Can't you do that in your room?" Jace had entered the room unnoticed and was greeted by a sight that was now burned into his cerebral cortex forever.

Without further haste, Alec ended the kiss. He looked over his shoulder at Jace. 

"Nope. Think of it as a revenge for all the times I've been forced to watched you tickle Clary's tonsils with your tongue." 

Jace closed the door behind him and crossed his arms over his chest. "Not that often. You're exaggerating."

"Jace, when you two kiss, you make noises like a wet filter bag splashing on a tiled floor."

Magnus started to laugh out loud. Alec looked at him surprised and smug at the same time because he had made him laugh. The whole situation was absolutely not embarrassing to Magnus. 

Alec turned back to Jace: "You better get used to it, Jace. You can expect a lot more of this in the future."

Magnus put a finger under Alec's chin and turned his head back in his direction. "Oh, can he? Are you going to kiss me more often?" 

Alec buried his head in the pit of Magnus' neck, kissed his jaw, his earlobe and whispered, "If it is up to me, every single day for the rest of my life."

Magnus moved a little away from Alec to look at him. The seriousness of his words was reflected in his eyes. Magnus cupped Alec's face and pressed her lips together. He was unable to respond to his words other than with a tender kiss. Magnus was overwhelmed by Alec's confession.

Alec tightened his grip on Magnus and pulled him onto his lap without interrupting the kiss. 

"Um, guys?! I'm still here. Right next to you." Jace raised a hand and waved at the couple.

He received no response. "Well, that's a bit awkward." 

Alec ran a hand up Magnus' thigh and, startled, pulled his hand away as he brushed against Magnus buttock.

"Your ass vibrates," remarked Alec, his lips still on Magnus'. 

Jace snorted.

"Oh, my cell phone." Apologetically, Magnus pulled his smartphone out of his back pocket and checked the notifications.

"Simon's mail has arrived."

"Could he find anything?"

Magnus held his cell phone towards Alec so he could read the mail.

"Jace, get Izzy and Clary. We'll meet at the Ops center."

~~~ 

Magnus had forwarded Simon's mail to Alec's cell phone. Simon identified eight buildings that contained this type of cement. Including the other evidence, he had been able to narrow it down to three.

'The 'Institute's' Ops Center was pretty impressive. High-tech at its finest. 

Alec typed an order on the large computer desk and a three-dimensional image of the city appeared.The three buildings stood out in color from the surroundings. Alec and Jace put together a team to see if anyone can be seen in the neighborhood who was on Valentine's 'family' tree.

The chances were not bad that Emil's disappearance had not yet been noticed. They hoped that in a day or two someone would pay a visit to Emil's apartment to check on him. That someone could take them one step closer to Valentine's whereabouts. 

"I don't know what you guys think, but I am ready to call it a night." Clary yawned. 

Jace put an arm around her. "Yeah, let's grab some food." 

Izzy put her arms over her head and stretched her back. "Good idea. I think there is chicken cacciatore for dinner today."

"All right. The teams are on their way. There is nothing we can do right now. Let's go eat," Alec agreed.

Magnus held Alec by the arm when everyone was about to leave the Ops center. 

"Go ahead, Magnus and I will be right there." 

Alec turned to Magnus. "What is it, Magnus? Did I miss something?"

"No. Or yes. At least nothing about your 'Operation Find Valentine'. But..." 

Alec took Magnus' hands in his. "What else is bothering you?"

"Well, how should I put it? What are you going to do with me?"

Alec blushed. "I didn't really want to talk to you about us here of all places, but I assure you that I have very honorable intentions." 

Magnus smiled. "It is good to hear that you think long term, but actually I was referring to your short term plans. Specifically, how long should I stay here? I need someone to drive me to the cottage because my car is still there."

Alec took both of Magnus' hands, pulled him closer and wrapped his arms around his waist. "Do you want me to drive you there now?

"Well, the way there was pretty long and it is relatively late. Basically, it is not worth driving now. I mean, you have go back here all the way again after you drop me off there. I can't possibly put you through such a strain. I really don't want to bother you."

"You stay?"

"I stay."

"That's all I wanted to hear," Alec murmured before kissing Magnus.

At some point, they followed the others into the canteen for dinner. It was a cozy affair. They talked a lot, laughed even more and got to know each other. 

Magnus talked about his previous cases and what it was like to work with Luke and Simon. Clary especially enjoyed the stories about Luke and Izzy listened with interest when Magnus mentioned Simon.

When Magnus tried to yawn in secret behind his hand, Alec got up and wished everyone a good night. He reached for Magnus and pulled him to his feet. They walked hand in hand through the almost empty cafeteria to the elevator. 

The silence during the short ride in the elevator was pleasant, as was the feeling of the fingers around their hands. 

Alec stopped at his door. Magnus turned to him and went backwards, Alec's hand still in his. 

"Where do you want to go?" Alec didn't let go of Magnus' hand.

Magnus nodded toward the room where he had spent the night. 

"No way!" Alec opened his the door to his room and pulled Magnus with him. "You don't really think I'll let you sleep alone over there. I want you here. With me. In my bed."

Alec gave the door a little push with his foot. Magnus ran his hands over Alec's chest, slipped them under the jacket of his suit to his shoulders, and let the jacket slide down Alec's arms.

Alec caught his jacket and threw it over the chair. Magnus' jacket was still in Alec's office, so Alec had free access when he started to open the buttons on Magnus' shirt. 

"For the past two hours I've been thinking about what you said this morning."

"What exactly did I say that you can't get out of your head?" Magnus tried to open the buttons on Alec's cuffs while Alec was busy taking off Magnus' shirt.

"You said you wanted to try the bathtub." Alec also threw Magnus' shirt on the chair at his desk. Magnus didn't care. He couldn't wear this shirt a third day in a row anyway.

"Yes, I said that."

"Do you still want to?"

"Oh, definitely!"

Alec pulled Magnus into the bathroom. "Me too."

He indicated at the recess in the wall at the head of the bathroom. "Bath salt or bubble bath? What do you want? You can choose."

Magnus put a finger to his chin. "I'm torn. On the one hand bath salts means that I can see you in all your naked glory."

A gentle smile and a delicate blush appeared on Alec's face.

"But there is nothing more relaxing than a bubble bath." 

Alec fetched the bottle and poured some of the fragrant liquid into the tub before pushing the tap up.

"I hope it's not too hot for you."

Magnus stuck his hand into the water and moved it back and forth. "Perfect."

"Hold on, I'll get us some candles."

_He's a romantic guy. How lucky am I? _

Magnus really appreciated Alec's effort. 

Alec came back to the bathroom with a waist-high lantern with a large candle and several tea lights.

"This is a gift from Izzy. So far I have had no use for it." Alec shrugged when he saw Magnus' eyes.

Magnus took the products from the niches in the wall and placed them on the floor so that he could distribute tea lights there.

The tea lights didn't have an insert made of aluminum but of glass, so they could see the flame burning until the end.

Alec looked around the bathroom contentedly. He dimmed the ceiling light until the room radiated a wonderfully romantic mood.

Alec held up his index finger, he had an idea. "Something is still missing." 

He gave Magnus a quick kiss on the mouth. "Get in the tub when it's full. I need a moment."

"Okay." Magnus kissed Alec's lips again. "Hurry up."

"Oh, you can bet your marvelous ass on that."

~~~ 

When Alec entered the bathroom ten minutes later, Magnus was lying in the tub with his eyes closed. 

"Did you miss me?" Alec knelt behind Magnus and kissed his forehead.

"Take your clothes off, otherwise I will pull you into the tub just as you are." 

Alec was aware that Magnus was watching him taking off his clothes.

"May I?"

Magnus slid into the middle of the tub so Alec could sit behind him. Magnus leaned against Alec's shoulder and Alec put his arms around him. 

"Why were you gone?"

"Because of this!" Alec reached out and picked up what he had placed on the floor next to the tub.

"You got ice cream?" Magnus turned a little to look at Alec. "You make it damn hard for me to resist you."

"Good!" Alec smiled. He had brought only one spoon and was feeding the man in his arms, which didn't entirely went without making a mess.

But neither had a problem with Alec licking a little ice from Magnus' chin. When the bowl was empty, Alec put it back on the floor. He picked up a sponge, held it under water, and ran it over Magnus' chest and arms.

"I could stay like this for hours."

"Me too," Alec agreed. "Or at least until the water gets too cold." 

Which was the case far too quickly. Alec helped Magnus out of the tub, wrapped him in a large bath towel and rubbed his back dry.

Magnus picked up the ends of the towel and wrapped his arms around Alec's waist. They stood there for a moment, surrounded by each other's arms.

"Let's go to bed. The bath made me tired." Magnus released Alec from his grip so that both of them could dry themselves thoroughly.

Alec let the water out of the tub and threw the towels into the hamper. They didn't bother to put on their underwear and went to the bedroom naked.

Undecided, Magnus stood at the foot of the bed. "Which side are you sleeping on?"

"I always sleep on the side facing the door. Is that okay with you?"

Magnus went around the bed, raised the duvet and slipped between the sheets.

"Coincidentally, this is also the side of a bed that I prefer." He slid to the middle of the bed and waited for Alec to lie down next to him.

They were both too tired for strenuous physical activity. The bubble bath had relaxed her and put her in a state of languorous comfort.

They shared deep looks and chaste kisses and it was enough. 

Alec turned on his back and Magnus snuggled against him, resting his head on Alec's chest.

"It feels like our heartbeats have a conversation," Magnus whispered. Alec kissed Magnus' crown and reached for his hand. At some point, Magnus could no longer suppress a yawn. "Spooning?"

Actually, Alec wasn't the type to cling to his partner in bed while he was sleeping or liked the feeling of being restricted in his movements by someone's arms at night.

But with Magnus he couldn't imagine sleeping any differently than in his arms.

Without letting go of Magnus' hand, Alec turned to his side, facing the door, and pulled Magnus with him. 

"Yeah," he replied before closing his eyes and indulging in the feeling of being safe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The book 'The Bone Collector' by Jeffery Deaver really does exist. It was made into a movie with Denzil Washington as Lincoln Rhyme and Angelina Jolie as Amelia Sachs.  
I think I remember reading that Hawaiian sand was imported to New York for a playground or a kindergarten.  
But the part with the caper bush plant is however fictitious. 
> 
> The next chapter will be some kind of an epilogue.


	6. Adjustment and Constancy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The case 'Valentine Morgenstern' is entering the final phase. The outcome of this mission is not to everyone's satisfaction.

Alec sat in the middle of his bed, slipped his feet under the covers and leaned his back against the headboard. It was late, but he knew Magnus was still awake and waiting for his call. Neither of them could sleep well if they had to spend the night separately. A phone call was of course not a substitute, but at least it helped make sure how the other was doing and how his day had gone.

After the second ring, Alec heard Magnus' voice. "Alexander! Are you ready for tonight?"

"Hey, Magnus. As far as you can be prepared for such an important operation, then yes. We have planned this evening for a long time, it is not a rushed activity. Of course, something can always happen. 'Expect the unexpected.' or how do you say?" 

He heard Magnus take a deep breath. "Your confidence is reassuring to me, Alexander!" he said softly. 

Alec knew that no matter what he told him, Magnus wouldn't stop worrying. But he still tried to calm him down.

"Magnus, don't worry. Everything will go smoothly. We have been planning the operation for weeks and have been going through all the eventualities over and over again. You worked on the plan yourself. You know every step just like everyone else in the team."

Magnus was an excellent analyst, very deductive but also intuitive. As a strategist, he was not quite as good as Alec, but still very passable. That's why he fit so well in the team. Alec and he complemented each other perfectly. 

"I know that." Magnus sighed. "Alexander, you can't expect me not to worry about my boyfriend."

Alec slid down the head of the bed and came to lie on his side. "Say that again."

Alec's head was lying on the phone, making Magnus' voice sound closer, more intimate. He reached out and pulled Magnus' pillow to his chest.

"What exactly do you mean? That I'm worried about you? Of course I'm worried about you."

"Boyfriend," Alec said softly. 

Magnus laughed. "Alexander, how long have we been together? Four months?"

"Four months, two weeks and three days," came the prompt reply. He was glad that no one else could see his heart eyes.

Alec heard Magnus move in bed and imagined that he was now lying next to him and looking at him. 

"Boyfriend," whispered Magnus.

Alec closed his eyes. "I love hearing you say that." 

"Please be careful tonight. Please. You know I ... need you." 

"Nothing's going to go wrong, Magnus. I'll take care of myself."

"Promised?"

"Promised! You can convince yourself tomorrow evening after game night that I am unscathed. Or you come at noon and we'll take a bath."

"You will probably still be in the middle of your paperwork at noon. I have a desk full of testimonies, a press conference and a consultation with our psychologist at 11:00 am. She sent me a profile earlier by email."

Shortly after they met, Magnus ended his leave of absence and returned to Luke's unit. He lived in his old loft in Brooklyn again, where he and Alec could spend a lot of time, especially a lot of undisturbed time. 

Alec knew about the case Magnus was working on how important it was to him. And if he was realistic, he had to admit that Magnus was right. He would be busy with meetings and reports. 

"Alec?" 

"Uh-huh?" 

"You know I would like to come to you earlier tomorrow. You know how much I enjoy our relaxing moments in the tub." 

"I know Magnus. I also know that you have to appear in court on Monday to give your testimony and you want to prepare yourself for it. I understand that." 

"I know. And that's why you're the best boyfriend."

Alec groaned. "Oh, Magnus! If I were free tonight I would get in the car and drive to you now." 

"I would be waiting for you in bed. Candles would burn and I would open a bottle of your favorite wine."

Alec buried his nose in Magnus' pillow and inhaled his scent. "I can't wait to hold you in my arms. I miss you." Alec heard Magnus sigh softly on the other end of the line.

"I miss you too. It won't be long, Alexander. Tomorrow at this time we'll be sitting with your siblings and Clary and have a nice evening. Until then, our thoughts have to be enough."

"My thoughts are nowhere near sufficient."

Magnus laughed. 

"What are you wearing right now?" Alec asked in his most seductive voice. 

Magnus laughed louder. "Come here and have a look," he replied cheekily.

"You are of no help." Alec sighed dramatically. 

"I'm only concerned about your safety. If I answer your question now, you won't be able to focus on anything else throughout the evening. You would only think about me."

"And you think that thought calms me down now? I'm imagining the wildest things you could be wearing in bed." 

Magnus let out an elongated "Hmmmm". 

"Or couldn't wear," added Alec after a moment.

"I think we'd rather change the subject, don't you think?" 

"It would be better," confirmed Alec. "Did I actually tell you what Underhill said when he found out that Raj was the one who took the investigation a decisive step forward?"

At some point Alec had no choice but to send Raj to the field. He didn't want him close to Magnus, although his boyfriend coped with him easily. Alec had warned Raj, but that didn't stop him from insulting Magnus at every opportunity. After observing one of the three buildings for four weeks, Raj was lucky one night. He watched Samuel Blackwell enter the building. When he came out, Raj followed him to his own apartment. The 24/7 observation finally showed success. Alec's team got to know more and more men and women who work for Valentine, the family tree became more and more extensive and detailed. The circle around Valentine grew ever closer. The operation that was scheduled for tonight would hopefully catch him once and for all.

"No, what did he say?" 

"When the sun of cognition is low, even the smallest elevations cast large shadows."

"Underhill said that? Wow! He really hates Raj."

"Yes, absolutely. It's for the best to separate them. Hold on," said Alec when there was a knock on the door. 

"Alec? Departure in 10."

"Agnoleged," he called loudly towards the door. "Magnus, I have to go," he said softly on the phone.

"Be careful, Alexander. I need you, so come home safe." 

"I will. Sleep well. I'll see you tomorrow." 

"See you tomorrow, darling."

Alec lay in bed with the phone on his chest for a moment, thinking about Magnus. The past four months, two weeks and three days have been the most wonderful of his life.

_When this is over, I'll go on vacation with Magnus. A few days in the sun, on the beach and the sea are exactly what I needed now._

With a sigh, he rose from the bed. He put on his Kombatboots, took his jacket and left his room.

~~~ 

The next morning, Magnus first checked whether he had received a call or text message that he hadn't heard during the night. The probability was negligible because he had slept very restlessly all night.

_Okay, no news is always good news, isn't it? If anything had happened, someone would have contacted me. No text message means everything went smoothly._

Magnus tried to calm himself down. Now he could understand how all his exes must have felt when he was on duty. He had never dated anyone from the fire department, emergency services, or a cop. That anxiety was terrible, not knowing how the man he loved was doing.

_I love him. I love Alexander!_

Magnus fell back on the pillows. 

_I have to tell him. I will tell him. This evening._

This realization made him no less worried about Alexander. But on the contrary. Magnus got up and started his morning routine. But in his mind he was with Alec.

_Why didn't we agree that he should at least write a short message when he's back at the institute?_

Magnus knew why. Alec couldn't tell when the operation would end and he would be home. He didn't want to wake Magnus if it was at a time when Magnus was still asleep. Only that Magnus had been dozing rather than sleeping all night. He wouldn't have woken him up. But Alec didn't know that. Magnus never thought that worrying about Alec would take his sleep away.

Magnus went to the precinct early. The day before, he and his partner Rey interviewed some people as eyewitnesses and had their statements checked. When Luke had given Lorenzo Rey as his new partner, Magnus hadn't been thrilled. But he couldn't choose his partner, he had no say in the matter.

Rey and he had some initial difficulties at the beginning. Meanwhile, they got used to the peculiarities of each other. Skepticism has turned into respect. Magnus doubted that a close friendship could develop between them, but he was good with the current relationship.

Magnus wanted to go over the statements again. Partly in the hope of recognizing a connection or finding a clue in the newly acquired information. But also to prepare for the press conference and the appointment with the psychologist. 

Although Magnus had an important case to focus on, in his mind he was always with Alec.

There was radio silence until noon.

Magnus was just leaving the group practice of doctors Gray, Herondale and Carstairs, who worked as psychological counselors for the NY police department, when his cell phone rang.

"Isabelle !? Is everything okay? Is Alexander okay?" Magnus was more than concerned about being called by Alec's sister. His imagination was leading him on very dark paths.

"Hey Magnus! Would you mind coming by earlier this afternoon?"

"Actually, I didn't want to come until tonight for game night. I have a testimony in court on Monday and I wanted to prepare for it at home. But okay. I can take the file with me and make my way this afternoon. Is there a special reason why you're calling?" 

"Um, Alec can tell you afterwards. We'll see you later." 

Before Magnus could say goodbye, Izzy had already hung up. He was so relieved to hear that Alec would explain the reason for the change in plan, that he didn't even notice that Izzy hadn't answered his question specifically.

Magnus drove back to the precinct. He was glad to hear from Izzy and was looking forward to Alec's description of how the operation went. He hoped for a complete success.

In the small office he shared with Lorenzo, he re-typed the notes he had made during the meeting with Tessa. He and Rey then kept Luke informed of the status of the investigation.

It wasn't until 3:00 p.m. that he drove home to his loft in Brooklyn. The first thing he did was take off the suit he was wearing at work. That was one of the things that enabled him to separate work and private life.

He hurried in the shower, changed and packed his holdall with the necessary things. He didn't need much because he had stored some of his clothes in Alec's wardrobe. He put the file he actually wanted to go through at home in the side pocket.

The drive back to Manhattan was slightly faster than the way to Brooklyn. He drove into the underground garage and parked his car next to Alec's.

On the way to the elevator, he waved at the surveillance camera. He didn't know who was on duty, but he got on well with everyone except Raj. Magnus was simply of the opinion that a little politeness did not cost money and that with a small gesture he could give other people a moment of joy. 

The three words 'thank you', 'please' and 'sorry' were probably the most difficult words to speak in today's society, and at the same time the words whose positive effects were most underestimated. But the opposite is true for Magnus, and quite consciously. 

He had his access card in his pocket, which enabled him to use the elevator so that he could get to the quarters without any problems.

He entered Alec's room and emptied his holdall. He put everything in its proper place. He placed the file he needed for the trial on Alec's desk. Then he made his way to Alec’s office, where he assumed to find his boyfriend. Either there or in one of the meeting rooms.

When he got out of the elevator, Izzy was waiting for him. "Hello, my dear Isabelle." He looked a little closer and saw dark circles under her eyes. "You look tired. The operation took a long time, right?"

Izzy nodded. "I'm pretty exhausted. Do you want to go to Alec?"

"I'm on my way to his office right now. I hope I don't bother him." 

"You won't bother him. But he's not in his office. Come, I'll take you to him."

Izzy pointed to the elevator and Magnus let her go first. She pushed the button for a floor Magnus had never been on before. But the building was big and he couldn't know everything.

When the elevator door opened and Izzy got out, Magnus had a very bad premonition. "Izzy, where are we? Where's Alec?" 

"I'll take you to him." Izzy went down the hall a few meters and opened a door.

Magnus hesitantly entered the room and his fears came true. He was at the institute's infirmary. And Alec was lying in the only bed in the room.

~~~

Alec turned when he heard the door and saw Magnus. As always, a warm feeling flooded him when he saw his boyfriend and he smiled at him. The next moment he realized where he was and his delighted smile faltered and his expression became an image of uncertainty and a guilty conscience.

"Hey Magnus!" he said, tugging nervously on his bedspread. 

Magnus took a moment to digest the sight.

"Hey, Magnus! Is that all? Is that really all you have to say to me?" Magnus put his hands on his hips and looked at Alec from the door. He was visibly upset.

"Um, no. Come here, sit down." Alec sat up and pointed to the chair next to his bed. "Nothing happened." 

Magnus stepped closer. "Nothing happens? Then why are you lying in bed in the afternoon? Not in your own bed, which I would rather welcome, but in your infirmary." Magnus sat down.

Neither noticed that Izzy had left the room in the meantime. 

"I was shot," Alec said sheepishly, pointing to his upper arm. 

"You got what? Shot?" Magnus slapped him on the uninjured arm with the palm of his hand.

"Ouch!" Alec tried to rub the spot Magnus had hit, but groaned in pain at having to move his injured arm.

Magnus rubbed the spot for Alec and took his hand. "Alexander, I was worried. Why didn't you contact me? Why didn't you tell me that you were injured?"

Alec didn't want to just tell Magnus on the phone that he was shot. He didn't want Magnus to worry unnecessarily. He was fine. He knew Magnus would have left everything behind to come to him immediately.

Alec shrugged and grimaced. "So you don't worry?"

"Well, that worked out quite wonderfully," said Magnus sarcastically. "Why did you ask Izzy to call me so I can come earlier?"

"I didn't send Izzy to tell you. I didn't want her to tell you. She acted without me knowing. I wanted to tell you this evening after the game night."

"Or rather wait until I find out by myself," Magnus snorted. 

Alec looked at her clasped hands. He was now realizing that his good intentions had done the opposite.

Suddenly Magnus sat up straight. "Was it because of our conversation on the phone yesterday? Because I didn't tell you what I was wearing? Please don't tell me that the thought distracted you so much that you became careless?"

Alec squeezed Magnus hand firmly. "Oh god, Magnus! No! Don't blame yourself. That has nothing to do with it."

"I don't know what I would do if it were so. My guilt would eat me up if the man I loved above all was hurt because of me." Magnus brought Alec's hand to his lips.

_He loves me? Magnus loves me?!_

Alec stared at him with his mouth open. "You love me?" 

"Of course! Would I otherwise be so worried? I am far from indifferent to what happens to you." Magnus caressed Alec's cheek.

_Magnus loves me! It's the most wonderful thing I've ever heard. He loves me. Oh god how much I love him._

"What exactly happened?" Magnus interrupted his thoughts before he could reply to his admission of love.

"Suddenly there was a door where there shouldn't be, and I was standing in a place that wasn't as safe as it should have been," Alec explained.

"What do you mean by 'There was suddenly a door where there shouldn't be'? Doors don't suddenly appear." 

"Wait, I'll show you." Alec reached for the iPad on the bedside table and showed the video footage to Magnus. Each member of his team was equipped with a camera that filmed the entire mission.

The screen showed four grainy black and white videos. The names of the team members were above. Such pictures were nothing new to Magnus. But what was new to him was his boyfriend's name over one of the shots and the feeling that both his heart and stomach were contracting into a heavy lump.

When the team came under fire, he wanted to stop the footage and return the iPad to Alec. But he couldn't. He needed to know what happened.

The mission went well, as planned. Magnus himself was involved in the preparation and knew both the blueprints of the building and the strategy of the team. And just like Alec said, a concealed door suddenly opened that wasn't listed in the blueprints, and Alec was completely exposed in the line of fire.

Magnus' heart stopped. Alec was sitting next to him, his mind was aware that his boyfriend had survived. But his heart screamed at what he had to see next. 

Someone pushed Alec out of the way at the last moment, so they both went down. Jace was the one who was there at the right time and killed the attacker with three shots.

Magnus looked at the name of the one who had saved Alec's life. Velasquez. With trembling fingers, Magnus handed the iPad back to Alec. 

"You should give Bat a raise. And an allowance."

One thing had become clear to Magnus while watching the footage. He wouldn't get through that again. He wouldn't be able to watch those pictures again. Because who guaranteed him that next time Alec would only sit slightly injured next to him.

"I don't care what your next mission will be, but I'll stick to your ass in the future. You won't know what your own looks like, because you'll only ever see mine if you turn around."

"Your ass looks better than mine anyway." Alec tried to loosen the serious mood with a bad joke, which made Magnus even more angry. "Now don't play down the seriousness of this matter."

"Magnus, come here." Alec slid down the bed until he was lying on his back and pulled Magnus towards him. Magnus took off his shoes, slipped under the duvet and lay on his side so that they both had space in the narrow bed.

Carefully, Alec took Magnus' hand with his injured arm and laid it on his chest. He put his other arm around Magnus' shoulder and stroked his upper arm. 

"I'm fine, Magnus. I've been injured on missions before. I can take care of myself."

"Alec, don't sugarcoat what has happened. You are injured! You got shot. You could have died!" 

"And maybe that will happen again. This is my job." Alec kissed Magnus' temple. "Don't worry about me. I'm fine."

"I don't care whether you've been injured before. I didn't know you then. But now the thought kills me that something could happen to you."

"I can't promise that nothing will happen to me in the future. I can only promise to take care of myself as good as I can." 

"That's not enough for me." Magnus removed his hand from Alec. He placed it on Alec's cheek and turned his face to himself. Alec felt all his love, worry and despair in Magnus' kiss.

Alec hoped that in this kiss he could convey to Magnus how much he loved him, he wanted to assure him that he was a solid part of Magnus' life and that he wanted it to stay that way. He hoped Magnus would understand him.

Magnus' fingers left Alec's cheek and trailed lower and lower. Purposefully, he shoved his hand in Alec's sweatpants and boxer briefs without interrupting the kiss. Alec got hard very quickly because Magnus was pretty skilled in that task.

"What are you doing?" Alec groaned at Magnus' lips. 

"I'll give you a taste of what you will be doing without in the near future until you are fully recovered." Magnus held Alec's cock in perfect grip. He knew how firm and how fast Alec liked it.

"What? Why? Magnus, I have a superficial wound on my upper arm, nobody shot me in the ass." 

"Oh, they better not dare. I would have killed them myself," said Magnus grimly.

Magnus circled the tip of Alec's cock with his thumb. Alec pulled Magnus closer to him with his healthy arm and surched for Magnus' mouth. 

"I actually meant, shouldn't we be enjoying each other every single moment...?" Alec kissed Magnus' jaw. "... and give each other pleasure instead of denying us all the fun. You saw yourself how quickly it all can be over."

Magnus pulled his hand out of Alec's pants, threw the duvet aside, and stood up. Without a word, he put on his shoes. 

"Magnus...?" 

At the door Magnus turned briefly. "Come find me when you are able to take my concerns seriously."

"I'm not allowed to leave the infirmary for the next 3 hours." Alec didn't know what had just happened. One moment he had Magnus hand around his cock and his mouth on his lips, the next moment Magnus was gone. 

"Perfect. Gives you enough time to think," commented Magnus before walking out of the room, leaving Alec puzzled and dumbfounded. 

After a while there was a knock on the door and Izzy carefully poked her head inside. "I have your medication and I want to take another look at the bandage."

One glance at her brother and Izzy knew something was wrong. In addition, she expected Magnus to be by his side. 

She sat down in the chair, handing Alec the pills and a glass of water. "What's going on?" She asked when Alec gave her back the empty glass. 

Alec sighed. "Magnus said he loves me."

"That's no reason to look like your harvest has been hailed. I would have expected that after an admission of love like this, an ecstatic grin won't leave your face for at least a week. I know you feel the same. Did you tell him?"

Alec shook his head. "I didn't have a chance."

"Why not? What happened? How did you screw that up? "

Alec ran a hand through his hair. "Magnus wanted to teach me a lesson and I idiot made it worse." 

"Okay, what was he up to? How did he want to teach you this lesson? "

Alec blushed and averted his embarrassed gaze. 

Izzy grinned and looked at his crotch, who thankfully showed no signs of interest. "I understand. If you had a couch in your room, I bet you would have a few uncomfortable nights ahead.”

Alec snorted. "Not quite. Magnus is much more sophisticated. He would share the bed with me, but nothing else will happen. Knowing him in bed next to me but not even being allowed to hold him is a much greater torture than any couch could be, no matter how uncomfortable."

"He didn't take it well that you were injured?"

Again, Alec shook his head. "And the fact I didn't call him right away. But, Izzy, I just wanted him not to worry. I didn't want to be a burden for him. He also has a job, a really important case."

"Oh, Alec." Izzy put a hand on his arm. "Put yourself in his position. He is your boyfriend. It is in the nature of things that he cares about you. Imagine he wouldn't."

Izzy got up, went around the bed and checked the bandage on Alec's upper arm. "I told you to call him. You would also want to know if something happened to him."

Alec nodded. "You are right. In the meantime I've figured this out. Wasn't my smartest decision."

"The wound dressing looks good. You're lucky, I hope you know that. Just think about what if. We'll see you tonight. "

"See you tonight. And thanks, Izzy. For everything."

When Alec was alone, he did what Izzy had advised him to do. He thought. He had a lot of time to think. He imagined how he would react, what he would feel if their roles were reversed. And once again he found a reason to admire Magnus. In Magnus' place, he wouldn't have stayed as calm as Magnus had when he watched the footage. He couldn't think of anything happening to Magnus, his brain refused to even consider this possibility.

Alec didn't know from his previous relationships what it feels like if someone was worried about him. He had never told his boyfriends exactly what he was doing for a living. They just knew that he was working for some kind of security company. Until now he was only responsible for himself. He had learned to make decisions regardless of his partner, he took professional risks without thinking because the job required it. 

Alec was never the daredevil type, but in retrospect he would make certain decisions differently and avoid some risks if he were in the same situation now.

Because of Magnus. Only because of Magnus. Because Magnus meant the world to him.

_This situation is new for both of us. Neither of us are used to worrying or someone being worried about us. We still have a long way to go. But I will do everything so I can walk this path with Magnus by my side._

~~~ 

Magnus had fetched the file he wanted to work through from Alec's room and took it to the roof. On the roof there was a cozy conservatory with a large roof terrace, where the game nights usually took place because most of the space was available here. The cafeteria was too crowded and busy.

Next to Alec's bed this was Magnus' favorite place in the institute. But as comfortable as he usually felt here, he was now restless. Magnus couldn't focus.

Magnus condemned his own behavior. He almost lost Alec, but now he was sitting here on the roof, alone and pouting. In his mind he went over the conversation with Alec again and again. 

Was his reaction exaggerated? He didn't hope so. He blamed himself for leaving Alec in the infirmary. But he needed that moment to think. Even if it was impulsive, it was the right decision before anyone could say something that both hurt too much. 

Magnus sighed. He couldn't get this picture out of his head: Alec was standing in the door, completely unaware of the deadly danger in his back. Behind him is one of Valentine's minions with their guns drawn.

He loved Alec and wouldn't have been able to bear it if he had lost him. He knew he had to talk to Alec when the two had calmed down. They had to find a solution.

Magnus was willing to compromise and hoped Alec would do the same. Until now, Alec had always shown his willingness to work on their relationship. 

With this glimmer of hope, Magnus forced himself to read the files more carefully and to take notes. The families of the victims trusted that he would be prepared on Monday when he entered the stand.

~~~

As soon as Alec had permission from the doctors to leave the infirmary, he went in search of Magnus. He wasn't in his room. Alec dismissed the thought that Magnus was in the basement where the gym was. Not even Magnus trained for three hours straight. There was only one option left. 

He went to the cafeteria, filled two to-go cups with coffee, and packed two brownies in a paper bag. With this offer of peace, he entered the conservatory.

Magnus was sitting on the table, a case file open in front of him, the notepad next to it. Alec could see that Magnus had underlined some passages with highlighters in different colors.

When Alec put the two coffee mugs and the bag on the table, Magnus looked up at him. Alec took the notepad from the table, put it in the open file, closed it, and pushed it aside.

He sat down next to Magnus and passed him the to-go mug so that the handle pointed to Magnus and he didn't burn his fingers. Alec tore open the paper bag and waited for Magnus to grab a brownie.

Magnus bit off a piece of the brownie. He licked the crumbs from his lips and put the rest back into the bag. He looked at Alec and leaned over to him. With a smile, Alec came to meet Magnus for a small but no less wonderful kiss.

"Thank you, Alexander." 

Alec was relieved. Magnus talked to him, even kissed him and most important of all, he called him Alexander. Alec was aware that not all of her issues had vanished.

"So, we have our first fight." 

"It was only a matter of time, Alexander. It only depends on how we deal with it. How we find a solution, together."

"I want to apologize to you. It wasn't a bad intent that I didn't tell you that I was shot. I didn't want to keep that from you. I didn't expect you to worry about me that much."

"We still have to get used to each other. Everything is new for us." Magnus reached out for Alec. 

Alec took his hand, but he pulled Magnus from his chair. He went to the sofa with Magnus and sat down. He needed his boyfriend close to him now. 

Magnus sat on Alec's lap and put his arms around his neck. "I'm sorry I had gone like that and left you alone in the infirmary. Shot. Not my best performance."

Alec's arms closed around Magnus' waist. "It's okay, Magnus. I understand that. And it was just right. We both needed time to think, to clear our thoughts, and to fear the consequences."

"Are you afraid of the consequences?" 

"Absolutely. You already indicated that I couldn't get away with a simple reprimand." 

Magnus nodded to Alec's words. 

"And that's why," Alec continued, "I ask for a severe but just punishment."

"I knew you were into spanking." Magnus ran his hand over Alec's chest.

Alecs ran his good hand from Magnus waist across his back to his nape. With his mouth close to Magnus' lips, he whispered: "Crap, this is our first argument and we will not have reconciliation sex."

Magnus arched his head back to look at Alec. "Why can't we have reconciliation sex?"

Alec nudged the tip of Magnus' nose. "You said that yourself. In the infirmary. You just wanted to give me a taste."

Magnus put his head on Alec's shoulder and played with the hem of his T-shirt. "You still know what 'willingness to compromise' is? Or the 'ability to respond to each other's wishes'? I think we can add 'forgive mistakes' and 'making every effort'. Don't you think?"

"Oh! Well, if that's the case, I'll show you later how much effort I can make." Alec kissed Magnus' forehead, the tip of his nose, until Magnus lifted his head from Alec's shoulder and he could put his lips on his boyfriend's mouth in a gentle, slow kiss.

"You guys are already here? That's good." Izzy and Clary entered the conservatory through the elevator. They were packed with snacks that they dumped on the dining table before they could fall from her arm. 

Magnus and Alec got up from the sofa. They went over to the girls to help them distribute the snacks in bowls. Magnus put his case file on the couch.

"Jace is coming soon, he's bringing drinks." 

In the refrigerator that belonged to the small pantry there was only water, coke and milk in case someone wanted a coffee. 

Clary got glasses from the wall cupboard.

"Speaking of the devil." Alec announced Jace's arrival and took two six-pack beers from him. Jace put two bottles of wine and a bottle of strawberry lime on the table.

As always, it was a nice and humid evening. However, Alec and Magnus held back on alcohol and didn't drink much. They wanted to be able to enjoy their togetherness later, which should not be clouded by a tipsy consciousness.

They played several card and board games well into the night. Clary was the first to announce that she had had enough when Izzy tried to get the next game out. They agreed not to start a new game anymore, but just to sit and chat.

Alec went to the pantry, turned on the kettle, and took two mugs from the wall cupboard. He tore open two bags, shook the powder into the mugs, poured water over it and stirred thoroughly. He carried the mugs to the table and set them down in front of Magnus so that he could choose which flavors he wanted his cup pudding in, vanilla or chocolate.

"Thank you, darling." Magnus raised his head and asked for a kiss by pursing his lips, which Alec was happy to give him.

They sat together for a good half hour before everyone cleaned up. Together they entered the elevator and drove down to the quarters.

Unnoticed by the others, Alec put his hand in Magnus' back pocket and kneaded his buttocks. Magnus made no sign of it. He waited in the elevator until everyone got out to follow them with Alec. They wish each other a good night and everyone went to their corresponding rooms. 

Meanwhile Alec automatically locked the door to his room. Magnus was more likely to let himself go when he knew they were undisturbed.

"How tired are you, honey?" Alec pulled Magnus into his arms. He did it slowly because the pain reliever was beginning to wear off.

"I'm fine. But you're in pain. Don't deny it, I can see that easily," added Magnus when Alec shook his head.

"Magnus, I'm fine. I'll take a pill for the night so I can sleep and I don't bother you while sleeping." Alec nuged Magnus' nose. "But there is still time until then."

"Come on, I'll help you undress." Alec sat on the edge of the bed and took off his shoes. Magnus lifted Alec's shirt, who let his arms hang down at his sides. When Magnus gathered up the fabric of the t-shirt at the back of his neck, Alec stuck his head through the cutout. He leaned forward a little and the shirt slid down his arms.

Alec started unbuttoning Magnus' shirt from below. But he only managed the lower buttons. Magnus took care of the rest. As Alec slowly pulled the belt out of the buckle, he gave little kisses to Magnus' belly. 

"Don't, please leave it on," Alec asked when Magnus started to slide the shirt off his shoulders.

"Anything you want."

Alec looked Magnus in the eye and opened the button on his skin-tight jeans and pulled the zipper down. He gripped the fabric of the pants on Magnus' hips and took turns pulling on each side until he took them off. Magnus slipped off his shoes and socks and stood naked in front of Alec, wearing only his open shirt.

"You don't wear underwear. You know how much the thought excites me when I know it." "I didn't exactly find the right time to tell you today," laughed Magnus.

Alec turned his attention to Magnus' crotch. It was a huge compliment to be greeted by a hard-on. But Alec liked to watch when his efforts showed their successful outcome.

He gently stroked the velvety skin of Magnus' cock with his index finger. He wrapped his hand around the cock and stroked him until he stood upright, hard and proud. To go easy on his injured arm, Alec used his thumb to draw small circles in the pit of Magnus' knee.

Alec teased the slit with his tongue. "You taste like I belong on my knees." 

"Alexander..." Magnus whispered. He held himself up against Alec's shoulders. His knees gave way when Alec spoiled his cock with his tongue and lips. 

"I wish you could do this for hours. But you are so exceptionally good that I have the steadfastness of a teenager."

Alec slid into the middle of the bed, grabbed the ends of Magnus' shirt, and pulled him towards him. He lay on his back and shoved his hands under Magnus' shirt. 

Magnus found his place between Alec's spread thighs. He rested his elbows on the mattress and looked Alec in the eye. He gently brushed a strand of hair from Alec's forehead. "I love you." His eyes went over Alec's face as if trying to memorize the sight. "I love you so much."

Alec took Magnus' hand and kissed his knuckles. "I love you. I love you more than anything." Alec turned Magnus' hand around and kissed his palm. "I just haven't been able to tell you yet, Magnus."

Magnus removed his hand from Alec's grip. He cupped Alec's face, ran his thumbs over his cheekbones. "Make love to me." 

Alec ran his hands from his lower back to Magnus' buttocks. He raised his head, asking Magnus to kiss him. 

This kiss spoke of their love, their passion and their desire for each other. Her initial deep sigh became a loud groan.

"Magnus, you are the best kisser I know. What you can do with your lips and tongue is a sinful art to call."

"The only reason is that you are perfect for me, that you respond to me in the way you do. You always adapt to me, no matter what I do."

"You make it easy for me. That's all. I can't help it." Alec tightened his grip on Magnus' buttocks. "Besides, I'm just crazy about you."

Magnus smiled ecstatically. "I hope I can give you pleasure tonight despite your injury."

"Magnus, I share this concern with you. You can't expect Olympic-grade mattress acrobatics from me tonight." 

Magnus kissed Alec gently. "I'll take care of you. Just enjoy yourself and leave the rest to me."

Magnus slid off Alec, closer to the bedside table, and took Lube out of the drawer. Alec reached out for it, but Magnus shook his head. "You don't do anything."

Alec huffed frustrated. "If I'm not allowed to help, at least let me watch," Alec asked with a look that Magnus would have done anything for.

Magnus sat up in bed and turned his back towards Alec. He placed his legs on the right and left of Alec's hips. Alec slid up in bed until he could sit and stuffed his pillow in his back. He knew he wasn't going to leave it at just watching and he had more freedom of movement for his arm while sitting, which he could only lift a little. 

Magnus opened the tube with the lubricant and distributed it on his fingers. Looking over his shoulder, he watched Alec. Thoroughly, he spread the lubricant around his hole with his middle finger and stuck it inside himself.

Alec couldn't take his eyes off this finger, which slowly disappeared further and further into Magnus. He reached out and ran his fingertips over Magnus' calves. He could only stroke Magnus' buttocks with one hand. He had to rest the injured arm on Magnus' leg.

Magnus crawled back a little so Alec could spread his buttocks with both hands. 

Just as Alec couldn't avert his eyes off his boyfriend, Magnus wasn't able to look anywhere else than at Alec. Lust and desire were written on Alec's face.

"Fuck. Magnus. That's so hot." Alec's soft moans increased Magnus arousal. Alec only had to lean forward to replace Magnus' finger with his tongue. Whenever Alec withdrew and kneaded Magnus' buttocks, he leaned back to just watch Magnus continuing to open up himself. When Magnus noticed that he was loose enough, he turned to Alec.

"Stay seated and enjoy." Magnus took the lube to stroke Alec's cock with it. He put both hands on Alec's shoulders and climbed onto his lap. Alec held his cock so Magnus could insert it more easily. They looked into each other's eyes as Magnus slowly lowered himself on Alec's cock. Alec bit his lip until Magnus was completely seated. 

"You are so tight." 

"I love feeling every inch of you," purred Magnus and started to move.

Alec put his arms around Magnus' waist. He stroked his lower back, grabbed his buttocks and pulled him closer. Magnus loved the feeling of Alec's chest hair tickling his nipples.

Their looks were as passionate as their kisses were fiery. It wasn't just sex that was limited to their bodies. They both felt that their souls became more and more interwoven in their lovemaking. Their orgasms slowly formed, every moment of their copulation was savored, every movement, every touch. When they reached their climax, they clung to each other, the other one's name on their lips.

Alec slid into a lying position and pulled Magnus with him. "This was pretty intense. Or is it because the painkillers are wearing off?"

"Then I should have taken some, too. I felt that way as well." Magnus put his head on Alec's chest and played with the hair. "If our reconciliation sex is always like this, I'm no longer afraid of an argument."

Alec laughed softly and kissed Magnus' head. "I take the sex, you can keep the argument." 

They stayed cuddled for a while until Magnus got up and went to the bathroom to clean himself up. He brought a damp washcloth and a glass of water for Alec so he could take his pills for the night. 

"Thank you, honey." Alec raised the covers so Magnus could snuggle up to him again.

"Good night, Alexander. I love you." Magnus yawned. 

"Sleep well, Magnus. I love you." 

"It's really nice to hear that." 

"I'll tell you every day for the rest of my life that I love you." 

"Promised?" 

"I promise, Magnus!"

With this assurance both fell asleep. The day had some unforeseen turmoil, their first argument, a debate, a reconciliation, and their first declarations of love. But they were in each other's arms, content, satisfied, strengthened. 

༺ ∘ ༻

At Magnus' request (others would call it urging) Alec withdrew from active service. At the same time, Magnus left the NYPD to work for the institute. From then on, both found their use in planning missions and training new recruits.

Magnus' farewell party took place at Hunter’s Moon. He had invited his unit from the NYPD and his friends from the institute. On this occasion, Izzy finally met Simon. But that wasn't the only couple that found each other. Magnus introduced Underhill to his colleague Lorenzo Rey, who got on well straight away. Bat kept his eyes on Maia all evening, but didn't dare speak to her. Maia didn't have these problems. At the end of her shift, she invited Bat over for a drink, which the shy guy was happy to accept.

But these are not my stories to tell. 

By the way, Alec never told Magnus the trick of how he could free himself from the handcuffs. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For suggestions and complaints you can find me at  
[twitter](https://twitter.com/Imandras)  
or  
[tumblr](https://imandras.tumblr.com)
> 
> #SaveShadowhunters ➰  
#Shadowhunters 💕

**Author's Note:**

> Happiness often sneakes in through a door you did not know you left open.


End file.
